


Buried Beneath the Cherry Tree

by leviathanofthesky



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Angst, Boshin War (past), Demon Izaya, Hurt/Comfort, Ikebukuro (present), M/M, Misunderstandings, Reincarnation, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:28:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 102,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23263972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leviathanofthesky/pseuds/leviathanofthesky
Summary: "I've waited over a century for you to return, and you don't even remember me." How could a demon fall in love with something as fleeting as a human? A samurai, to note. It was laughable, yet he could not bring himself to smile.Izaya, self-proclaimed lover of humanity thanks to a final promise with Tsugaru, waits in Edo for the return of his beloved only for the other to reincarnate in the form of a monster who calls itself a human. He can only lie to himself for so long before Shizuo shatters his carefully constructed walls.
Relationships: Akabayashi Mizuki/Shiki Haruya, Heiwajima Shizuo/Orihara Izaya, Kishitani Shinra/Celty Sturluson, Orihara Izaya/Tsugaru, Sakuraya/Shitsuo (Durarara!!)
Comments: 60
Kudos: 126





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! This was originally started around 8 years ago, and now that I have a little extra time (in a way), I shall attempt to finish it! I will begin by slowly reposting all of the older chapters first and hopefully gain some momentum to make it to the end. New chapters will be updated both here and the original website. Wish me luck!
> 
> Now let us begin *hearts*

The city of Ikebukuro lay in quiet slumber before him, the distant call of the last train the only sound atop this empty rooftop bathed in moonlight. He had situated himself quite comfortably on the edge of the gateless wall, the drop into darkness below not even worth blinking at.

The sound of metal suddenly echoed in the alley, probably made by some cat scavenging for food, or, better yet, one of the many lesser gang members lashing out at a trash can out of frustration for one reason or another. Voices followed suit, indicating the latter, and a soft brief flicker shone from the darkness as one of the humans below lit a cigarette.

He paid none of these distractions any mind.

What captured his attention this night was not a human, but the full moon above him, shining unobstructed through a clear sky; a sight quite rare these days with all the pollution that had blanketed Edo over the century. He let out the breath he had been holding in and watched as the steam dissipated into the cold winter air.

Izaya drew his coat closer, the moon still reflecting off his blood red orbs.

"Same moon, Tsugaru…" he whispered as he closed his eyes.

.

Late Tokugawa Period, 1867. August. 

The forest suddenly exploded around him as yells and the clangs of metal on metal and flesh woke him from his previously peaceful nap. Izaya sat up slowly from his place under his favorite sakura tree, glaring through the moon-bathed clearing to the trees opposite him. Just as he decided to hop into the branches above him to escape any further annoyances, the fighting broke through the bushes, and water from the small stream between him and them splashed onto the banks as one of the men ran across it.

The samurai, clothed in a flowing blue haori lined with a snow-like pattern, turned to face his attackers, pointing his katana at the five men who had followed suit.

"End of the line, trash," one of the men smirked, his cruel eyes following the samurai's every move.

"Where are all your Western friends now?" another taunted. The samurai remained silent, not betraying any movement to his opponents.

Izaya blinked, realizing for the first time that the one in front of him had light blond hair messily tied in a ponytail, and he was definitely a little tall for a normal Japanese man. He thought the moon had been playing tricks on his eyes, and the realization brought a grin to his face.

 _'A Westerner, huh?'_ This was too good of an opportunity to pass off. He had never had a decent conversation with one of them before. It was difficult enough to talk with a human of his native country without getting a katana swung at him, and every Westerner he had met before had a gun. Swords he could handle but little projectiles whizzing all over the place, not to mention the deafening roar when the blasted instrument went off, he could not take. What made it even worse was that now the things were getting imported to Japan in massive quantities, and he had been on the verge of giving up bothering with humans all together.

However, back to his present situation, the five before the samurai didn't seem to have any guns, and this pleased him a great deal. _'Hm…'_ He stood up lazily, the extra long sleeves of his kimono draping over his hands, covering his claws. They were of no help for the rest of his appearance, but he threw caution to the wind as he took a step forward.

"Huh? Who's there?" One of the men had noticed the movement behind the samurai.

"Who indeed?" Izaya returned as he walked out of the shadow of the sakura tree. The two horns on his forehead shone clearly enough under the moonlight, and if that weren't enough, his pointed ears and blood red eyes surely gave him away. If not, then these humans were idiots.

"A-a demon!" one the men stuttered and stepped back.

"Not all idiots I see." Izaya smiled lazily at them, daring them to run. As he predicted, one sprang forward, all sanity lost to fear. Just as the demon lifted an arm to do his dirty work, the man fell down before him, and the samurai pulled his sword out, returning to a defensive position.

"Your opponent is me," the samurai said, his voice like a shallow creek, fluid and calm. Izaya had never heard such a serene human voice before; the ones that graced his ears the past years only held fear-dipped hatred for his kind. This new experience proved quite refreshing.

The corner's of the demon's mouth rose some more. "You stole my kill," he told the samurai, but the other seemed to ignore him and continue to concentrate his attention on the remaining four men.

Three of them sprang forward, and swords clashed as the samurai expertly held all of them off, maiming the first to reach him in the process. Izaya watched in utter fascination at the display until he noticed that the fourth man in the side had produced a pistol. The demon was on him in a flash.

"Who gave you permission to kill my toy?" he growled as the man gave a yell and attempted to fire. Izaya swatted the weapon away and drove his claws into the man's chest, cutting straight through the ribs to the back as he ripped out his victim's beating heart. He let go of the warm object and drew back, the blood that covered his arm up to the elbow now staining his sleeve. "Great, I have to wash this again…" he muttered.

"Monster!" he heard a click and looked up in time to see that the maimed man had grabbed the pistol and had it aimed at him.

"Tch…" Izaya sprang at him but felt his shoulder explode in pain just before he struck down his attacker. Hissing at the burning, he jumped back and dug into his wound, finding the cursed piece of metal embedded into his shoulder blade. "Shit…" He dug deeper and finally caught the bullet between his claws and ripped the entire thing out, tossing it furiously to the side. _'Damned guns…'_

His shoulder burned as he felt the wound close up on its own, and he looked up the see the samurai pulling his sword out of the remaining man. The foreigner looked over to Izaya and seemed to consider for a moment before making his way over.

"Wonderful…" Izaya muttered under his breath when the samurai was finally in front of him. He saw pale blue eyes that ran as deep as the skies on a clear day. _'Truly a foreigner, huh?'_ Izaya gave him a smirk. "Going to kill a defenseless demon?" he scoffed, feeling the remainder of his wound close under his bloodied hand.

To his surprise, the samurai slowly sheathed his sword before offering him a hand. "Huh?"

"Can you stand?" the man asked him.

Izaya stared at the hand with wide eyes before taking it. "You're a weird one," he chuckled as he brushed himself off.

"Same to you," the samurai replied, his speech quiet and brief. "Why did you help me?"

The demon laughed out loud at this, and the other patiently waited until the chuckles subsided. "Are you a foreigner?" He thought the answer was obvious but couldn't help asking.

"Half," the foreigner answered.

"Huh…" he tilted his head to the side. "You have quite the skill with a sword though. I almost thought you were a samurai."

"I am," he answered with conviction.

"But you're a foreigner," Izaya pointed out.

"Half," he corrected again.

"Huh…" Izaya sighed in disappointment. This meant that the samurai didn't know much of those so called Western traditions after all. He was rather curious about the world outside of Japan after all, having lived here all his long life. He found himself staring at the other's outstretched hand once again. "What are you doing?"

"Handshake," the samurai answered. "It's how 'Westerners' greet others. You're curious about me, aren't you?"

"Don't be conceited," he replied. He felt his smile widen despite himself as he took the hand anyway. The samurai's grip was strong but just enough to prove it so.

"My name is Tsugaru," the other offered his name.

"Izaya," he returned the gesture. This was going to be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for making it to the end of chapter 1!
> 
> Historical Notes: Edo Period = Tokugawa Period. Edo = Tokyo. Throughout the Tokugawa Period, the bakufu (shogonate) kept a strict isolationist policy, so it was rare to meet foreigners inside of Japan save for certain trade ports. America had already "opened" Japan before the time in which this story takes place, so guns were starting to become a common weapon in warfare. Many samurai still fought with swords, but they were quickly phasing out…


	2. Chapter 2

"I thought I smelled something rotten up here," a low voice growled behind Izaya. The informant stood up slowly and put on his best grin as he turned around to face the Fortissimo of Ikebukuro.

"You really have an amazing nose, Shizu-chan. Truly befitting of a monster," he said, the radiant moon behind him shielding the other from his momentary lapse of control when he felt the grin fall just a little.

"Shut up," the bodyguard spat, tossing his cigarette aside. "I'm going to snap that neck of yours tonight."

"You'll have to catch me first," Izaya nearly sang before he jumped aside to avoid the sign Shizuo had been holding. The brute must have carried it all the way up the stairs from the streets below. He heard glass from the opposite building shatter from the impact, and he finally managed to regain his composure. "Monster…" he mouthed before Shizuo leapt at him.

Laughing, Izaya jumped across the gap to the adjacent building, landing nimbly on the concrete before he took flight. He sighed when he heard the other roar behind him and followed suit.

"You always do find me, without fail…" He pulled out his switchblade.

.

Late Tokugawa Period, 1867. October.

Izaya perked up when he heard the leaves rustle, and he jumped to his feet, eyes shining just like an excited child's as Tsugaru once again emerged from the bushes. This time, the samurai carried a neatly wrapped bottle and a bag that clinked slightly as he walked.

"Izaya-san," the samurai nodded to the demon. He hopped across the stream to where the other waited, his blue haori fluttering behind him. Izaya always wondered why the other would wear something so bright; it certainly made him an easy target.

"What did you bring this time?" the demon inquired, trying very hard to not sound eager, but his enthusiasm did not escape the other's notice.

"Sake," Tsugaru replied, an amused smile lighting up his face.

"Oh! That drink that causes perfectly reasonable humans to make complete fools of themselves," Izaya said, nodding confidently to himself as Tsugaru sat down, the samurai's back almost against the sakura tree.

"Does that mean you don't want to try it?"

"H-hey! I never said that!" Izaya stuttered as Tsugaru chuckled quietly and produced two small cups from the bag. He never expected that the quiet samurai he had saved just a few months ago would even have a sense of humor, but the other seemed to enjoy teasing him on occasion. He had already branded the samurai as 'strange' though, so it wasn't too surprising whenever Tsugaru cracked a light joke at his expense. "These are sake cups?" the demon asked, peering at the pieces of ceramic.

The samurai nodded and handed him one. "If you want, you can keep it."

"Can I?" The spark that flashed across Izaya's face reminded him of the children back in Kyoto that he had offered candy to. He nodded and poured the other a generous amount of alcohol, much different than candy, he noted.

Izaya sniffed its contents curiously before peering into to the cup at the clear fragrant liquid.

"You haven't tried alcohol before?"

"It's not that I haven't tried it…" He took a small sip, feeling the sake slowly burn as it trailed down his throat. "Hm… tastes a little better than that other time."

Tsugaru looked up from his own cup. "Oh?"

Izaya shrugged. "I was curious, so I snatched a bottle from Shimabara. I figured they'd be too drunk to notice, but then one of the geisha saw me, and I only got in one sip." He grinned. "It was quite funny though. They were just wobbling everywhere trying to catch me."

"They do get quite rowdy sometimes." Tsugaru drank slowly, savoring the flavor. He wondered if he should've brought something to eat too, since one gets easily drunk on an empty stomach, but a demon's capacity should be much greater than a human's, or so he assumed.

On the other hand, Izaya drank quickly, managing to down a few more cups of the sake within minutes, as if he were determined to finish the bottle before Tsugaru left. After his fourth cup, the samurai finally raised a hand to calm him down.

"There's no need to drink so fast."

The genuine look of confusion on the other's face almost made him laugh. "Isn't this how you're supposed to drink it?" Izaya asked him.

"There's really no 'right' way to drink, if that is what you mean. Some drink slowly to savor the flavor. Others drink fast to show off."

"Oh." Izaya took a tiny sip from his next cup, but Tsugaru suddenly noticed the red blush that had already fallen over the other's face. "It makes me really warm," the demon commented, and a cool autumn breeze seemed to answer him when it suddenly flowed through the area.

"It's a nice feeling, huh?" The samurai closed his eyes, enjoying the sereneness of the day and the sake that had slowly worked its way into his body. Kyoto was always bustling these days; he had nearly forgotten how peaceful things could be. He felt something heavy on his lap and opened his eyes only to see that the demon had decided to use him as a pillow, the sake cup empty once again in his hand.

"Are you drunk?" Tsugaru asked.

"Me, drunk? Impossible," Izaya answered from his lap as he peered upward into the sakura tree, its green leaves shielding them from the sun's rays. He sighed deeply, eyes half-lidded. "Hm…"

"What's wrong?"

"Just wondering how'd you look right now if was spring. This tree drops tons of petals."

Tsugaru frowned slightly. "I wouldn't look any different."

"No, everyone looks different under sakura trees."

Tsugaru pondered this statement for a while. "You must really love them," he finally said.

"Just this one." Izaya closed his eyes. "My home has lots of sakura trees, just as large as this one…" his voice trailed off and the fingers holding the sake cup opened slightly.

"Izaya-san?" Tsugaru called to him, but the demon was asleep. He sighed and allowed the other to relax; it wasn't the first time the demon fell asleep during his visit. Normally, he'd leave, but this time, that was impossible lest he rouse the other from his nap. The samurai leaned against the tree instead, thinking about the past few months and their first meeting.

" _You want to thank me?" The incredulous look on the demon's face made him wonder if the other was even a demon at all; he had way too many human emotions. Then, Izaya smiled, and he almost regretted offering. He inwardly shook his head. No, he had to repay this demon who had helped him._

" _Once a week, until the first snow falls this year," Izaya finally decided on something, "visit me here."_

_Tsugaru knew his confusion had spread to his face now._

" _Oh, and it'll be great if you could bring something small from Kyoto each time, like a… what do you call those… a cracker."_

" _You mean food?"_

_Izaya nodded, the grin and excitement apparent on his face. "Just for a few months, right? It shouldn't be hard for a noble samurai like you. Oh, and if you can manage…" The hopeful look on the other's face reminded Tsugaru even more of the other's naiveté, "maybe something Western every now and then too? Or a story…"_

The demon was just like a child, nothing like the stories he had been told of their kind. True, Izaya was capable of murdering without any remorse, but he didn't do it for fun, and he certainly didn't go around eating people like the infamous Shuten Douji.

He was just trying to… Tsugaru sighed. He needed to stop rationalizing to himself.

' _One day, the others will find out about him.'_ Then, Izaya will be hunted down, and as a samurai, protector of the people, he would have to hunt down the demon alongside his comrades.

"You should return home," he muttered.

"Can't…" Izaya replied lazily, but he kept his eyes closed. "I'm too curious for my own good. I can't stay away from you humans. It was driving my mother crazy."

"Your mother?" He couldn't even begin to picture a female version of Izaya; the one he had on his lap was already enough on his hands.

"Scary woman. She said not to return until I've satisfied my curiosity." He laughed lightly. "I've been trying very hard, but it's just not subsiding. There's always something new, something interesting _…_ " He yawned. "You samurai must have a very strong sense of honor, going so far as to humor a demon that saved you once."

Tsugaru chuckled lightly at this, and Izaya suddenly found a small tinge of bitterness in the other's voice. "If only all of us could remember what honor is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Shimabara is the courtesan district of Kyoto. In Japanese folklore, Shuten Douji is a oni lord that kidnapped and ate young women until a warrior and his comrades came and defeated him.
> 
> As usual, thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Izaya gracefully dodged an uprooted fence before he took a swing at the bodyguard, slashing the other's shirt cleanly across.

"You little…" Shizuo growled, glaring at the informant as he advanced like a predator ready for the final strike.

"Hm…" Izaya stared at flaring brown orbs, burning passionately for his death. Tsugaru's blue eyes were calm like the ocean, and he could only recall a few occasions when the other actually got angry enough for those perfect irises to turn to fire. Shizu-chan's were the complete opposite: all flames and rarely calm. The informant jumped backwards when the bodyguard made to grab him and landed nimbly on the ledge. However, a painful numbness suddenly shot through his right leg just as he straightened himself.

 _'Ah, it looks like a month's my limit,'_ he thought sarcastically as he faced the bodyguard. _'But I can't turn back… not out here…'_

"You're going to have to try harder than that," he sang, grinning through the dull pain.

"I'll kill you!" the other roared in response, and Izaya made to leap again when he suddenly felt the rest of his body go numb.

 _'Oh shit…'_ He stumbled backwards, and gravity instantly took hold of him as his legs left the ledge.

"What…" Shizuo gasped, grabbing for the informant on instinct, but he was too slow, and time seemed to still as a flash of red swept past him to the falling man.

.

End of the Tokugawa Bakufu, 1867. November.

"Mother changed her mind rather quickly."

Tsugaru stopped when he heard the demon's voice through the foliage.

"You must understand, Izaya-sama. Kyoto will become a battlefield," an unfamiliar voice joined Izaya's. The samurai ducked behind the nearest tree and peaked around to see his demon companion speaking with another: a demon, he concluded, judging by the stranger's pointed ears and horns. Unlike Izaya, this one had hair that shone red under the rays of sunlight that peeked through the branches of the sakura tree and horns three times the length of Izaya's.

"If you care so much, why don't you just teach me how to look human then?"

Tsugaru blinked. This was new.

However, the other demon did not seem pleased with the idea. "It's abhorrent for a demon to take the form of a human," he replied quietly. "We only do so to collect information from the outside world."

"But I…" Izaya attempted to protest.

"Yes, we know that you're very talented at obtaining information, Izaya-sama," the other interrupted him, "but how could we possibly let you do the dirty work? It does not fit your stature, not to mention the process itself is dangerous."

"Tch…" Izaya looked away. "Either way," he finally said in a low voice. "I'm not returning with you."

The other demon hesitated. "Is it because you've found a new toy?" he inquired after a moment.

"Toy…" The shorter demon seemed to play with that word on his tongue a little. "He's… different."

"Just because they don't attack you during your first meeting doesn't mean they won't turn on you in the future."

"I know. I know," Izaya said dismissively, scratching his head. "But still…" He seemed to dwell on whatever thought he had at that moment and turned to Tsugaru's direction, eyes directed down at the stream. The gentle flow of water carried red and gold leaves down its path, its tranquil nature opposite of the brewing argument between the two on the shore.

The other finally let out a tired breath, apparently defeated. "There's just no convincing you, like always."

Izaya seemed to relax. "You know how I am."

"Just like your father… He got too close with the humans and they…"

"They betrayed him at the end. As much as you like bringing that up, I must remind you once again that it's not your fault," Izaya finished for him. He rolled something in his hand, and Tsugaru realized it was the sake cup he had brought a month ago. "I want to see, Mamoru. I'm sure there's something more in them then what Mother says."

The red-haired demon called Mamoru stared at him for a long moment. The corners of his lips finally turned up slightly. "I'll tell your mother you won't be returning as of the moment."

"Thanks, Mamoru."

The demon bowed and turned to leave, putting on the bamboo hat as he stepped away from the sakura tree. Mamoru stopped, pulling the hat over his eyes as he turned slightly to Izaya. "Don't you ever miss home?" he asked.

Izaya smiled. "Occasionally. But, you should know, I'm not the type to live in such a boring place."

"Oh I know well enough." The other threw him a smile before disappearing into the woods. "Don't die," his deep voice echoed through the clearing.

Izaya stared for a while in the other's direction before he turned to Tsugaru's tree.

"You didn't need to hide, you know. If Mamoru attacked you, I would've stopped him."

Tsugaru retreated from his hiding place as Izaya took a seat next to the sakura tree, stretching lazily as he watched the other make his way over. The samurai hopped over the stream like usual and approached the demon with light steps.

Izaya smiled, motioning for him to sit with him, and Tsugaru obliged, settling on the dry grass next to the demon. "Surprised at seeing more than one of us running around the woods?" The samurai opened his mouth to speak, but Izaya continued. "Mamoru's one of our information gatherers. He doesn't normally show his demon form to a human, but," he chuckled, "you're pretty good at hiding, Tsugaru."

"Your mother misses you," the other replied, choosing to ignore the comment.

"Yeah, I bet she does." Izaya looked to the river. "It's not like I hate her or anything… but I guess I'm just a naughty son."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with curiosity."

"Tell that to the head of the demon clan whose only child ran off to mingle with humans." He laughed at the other's wide-eyed expression. "Yup, I'm royalty in our world." He bit his lip. "I'd rather I wasn't though. Then I'd be able to run around like Mamoru."

"He cares about your safety."

"He always has… even before Father died."

Izaya absentmindedly kicked a small pebble away towards the stream, the light splash echoing its fate. The leaves around them rustled, and a bird in the trees whistled to its companions in the woods.

"Tell me a story, Tsugaru," Izaya said, lying down on the samurai's lap. He seemed to have developed a habit of it ever since the sake event, and Tsugaru hadn't had the heart to tell him to get off; the other always looked so content. The demon's red eyes were lidded, and a light smile played on his lips as he waited.

"My mother was the daughter of one of the daimyo near Nagoya," Tsugaru found himself saying.

"Heh? So she met your father at the port, I take it?"

Tsugaru nodded. "I was told my grandfather was furious, but he allowed my mother and father to live together, away from the eyes of his domain. He sent money every month, and we did quite well for a while."

"Huh… then how'd you become a samurai? Peaceful life, plentiful money…"

The smile he saw above him didn't look happy at all. "I guess because I'm a natural-born killer."

Izaya frowned. "That's not a very good reason."

Tsugaru closed his eyes, his tired sigh making Izaya feel a little uncomfortable. "I killed my first man when I was 10."

"That's quite… young…" The demon was trying, with much difficulty, to determine what the age 10 meant to humans. "What for?"

"Revenge for my parents' deaths. We were visiting Kyoto one day, and some rounin claiming to be Imperialists decided to pick a fight. They got my father first, and my mother was killed protecting me." He absentmindedly picked a strand of hair in front of his eyes. "All because we were different." He blinked in surprise when a clawed hand joined his and held the strand to the light.

"Humans tend to like getting rid of things that are different, huh?" Izaya muttered, looking at the gold above him. "Gold hair's quite beautiful on a human though."

"Uh…" He wasn't accustomed to such compliments, and the gesture made the heat go straight up to his face.

Izaya stared at the red that had dusted the other's cheeks up to his ears and lowered his hand. "Are you warm? Should I get up?"

"No, that's not it…" Tsugaru tried to compose himself. "Ah, I mean… I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

Wide red eyes stared back at him. "Ah… yes… So… what kind of hair colors do demons have?" he attempted to change the subject, feeling even stranger now that Izaya had, for the first time since they'd met, looked worried.

"Oh, hair color," Izaya closed his eyes, seeming to relax. "It varies. There's red, like Mamoru's, some dark blue, brown, and boring black like mine."

"It's not boring," Tsugaru found himself saying.

"Oh?" Izaya played with a strand of his own hair now. "I guess it's useful for blending in." He chuckled. "Now if Mamoru would only tell me how to hide everything else."

Tsugaru finally asked the question that had bothered him since he saw the two speak earlier. As well as the hat had hid the other demon's face, sooner or later someone would've been able to see Mamoru's horns, given how tall he was. "You can look human?"

Izaya put a finger to his lips. "Now don't go around telling the others. They'd go crazy if they knew that demons could walk among them undetected." He gave the other a grin before closing his eyes lazily, the autumn warmth starting to pull his consciousness away.

Tsugaru allowed himself a small sigh and decided to study the other's features under the shadows of the sakura tree. The demon had long eyelashes, he noted, and besides the two short horns and pointed ears, his face looked pretty human. Izaya's hair was silky and traced the outlines of where it touched his kimono closely, flowing like water down to the grass. Tsugaru lifted a strand experimentally, finding it as soft as it looked.

Catching himself, the samurai dropped Izaya's hair as quickly as he had whimsically picked it up, his heart beating quickly. No, it was completely normal, he told himself. Izaya had done the same to him only minutes prior.

He thought about his promise to the demon. Winter was coming soon, and then the two may never meet again. He sighed, realizing that it may be even sooner than that.

"The shogun has given his power back to the emperor," he muttered under his breath, as if he had just remembered the occurrence.

"Then the bakufu's enemies will start acting," Izaya continued, his voice almost a sigh.

' _So he knows this much,'_ Tsugaru noted. "Hey, are you sure about staying?" he asked.

His eyes still closed, Izaya's playful grin returned. "Aw, worried about a little old demon like me?"

"Our enemies hate us enough to want every single one of us dead. You won't be any safer from them." He hesitated. "Or us…" he added quietly.

"So you'll be fighting them?"

Tsugaru closed his eyes. "It is my duty to the ones who took me in."

"Duty huh?" Izaya repeated, his tone melancholic.


	4. Chapter 4

"Izaya-sama!" The red-haired man grabbed the informant's wrist and pulled him back onto the roof with a swift tug. Izaya stumbled into the other's arms, eyes darting about in confusion as the stranger supported his weight.

"Mamoru?" Shizuo heard the informant murmur as he let out the breath he had been holding, his heart still pounding from the sudden burst of adrenaline. He silently glanced down at his hand, outstretched in an attempt to grab Izaya just a moment before.

"Turn back now, please," the newcomer begged the informant, but Izaya brushed him aside and attempted to stand. However, his perseverance gave way, and the informant suddenly collapsed completely, motionless, eyes still partially open as if he were in a trance.

"Izaya-sama!"

"What's going on?" he muttered under his breath. Shizuo had never seen Izaya like this, not even during those rare times he had actually hit his target with a trashcan or street sign. The informant had simply gotten up, a little bruised, and laughed off the pain whenever that happened before continuing the chase.

Izaya's body shuddered, and Shizuo suddenly noticed something very odd about the ailing informant's forehead.

' _Are those… horns?'_ He blinked a few times, but the white protrusions did not disappear and looked even clearer in the moonlight. Shizuo's eyes traveled sideways and pointed ears also rang an alarm that something was off.

He finally saw blood red eyes staring at him, much more intense than Izaya's already reddish-brown irises. The pupils were slit like a snake's, but the expression their owner wore felt like a knife through him, and he involuntarily put a hand up to his heart to quell the sudden uneasiness.

"Izaya-san…" the suffix rolled off his tongue smoothly, almost too naturally, but before he could comprehend what he had just said, those lonely eyes vanished as they rolled back and closed.

The strange man picked up Izaya, pulling the informant's furry hood over his face to conceal the horns and pointed ears. He finally looked at Shizuo, as if noticing him for the first time.

"Izaya-sama needs to rest, so if you would please cease chasing him tonight…"

The man gave him a short bow and then the two of them disappeared, leaving the bodyguard starring dumbfounded at the spot they had been.

_The two of them were standing beneath the sakura tree, its soft pink petals fluttering around them as the spring breeze picked up._

_The other smiled, eyes as beautiful as the blood red sunset rays of the dying sun._

" _Hey, Tsugaru…"_

.

New Year's Eve, 1867. December. 

Tsugaru drank silently in the corner as the other occupants of the inn roared happily around him, their sake cups emptied and refilled constantly as the festivities carried on through the night. He knew they drank to forget, but no matter how much alcohol they took in tonight, the fact remained that tomorrow the danger of being attacked loomed above all of them who were still loyal to the shogun.

A man with a straw hat sat at the table opposite him, also strangely silent despite the guffaw around them. He had been staring at him for quite a while now, and Tsugaru felt that it was no coincidence that two quiet drinkers such as themselves happened to be in the same room. He doubted that a spy would be foolish enough to wear a hat in front of everyone indoors like this, but he kept watch just in case.

The hour passed as Tsugaru's comrades continued to down even more alcohol, and the samurai himself started to feel a little relaxed. His eyes trailed absentmindedly to the sake cup, and he turned the object in his hands, enjoying how the clear liquid inside swirled about. He remembered that he had kept his own cup in his bag, part of the set of two he had bought for Izaya, and he slid the pouch closer to him lest a drunkard fall on it.

"Izaya-san…" he muttered the demon's name under his breath.

The first snow of the season had fallen just a week prior…

_Izaya caught one of the snowflakes in his hand, staring at it expressionlessly as it melted in his palm. Kyoto snow was rare and fleeting, and it surprised both of them that it would fall so early this winter. A white sheet had already blanketed the trees when Tsugaru arrived, and the ice crunched under his geta as he neared the other and the sakura tree, barren of its leaves this cold December day._

_The demon turned to Tsugaru, an indiscernible smile on his face._

" _Thank you for fulfilling your promise to me," he finally spoke, his voice soft like the snow that surrounded them._

_Tsugaru opened his mouth to protest, yet he could not find the right words. What was he supposed to say to a demon? That he did not mind meeting again? He closed his mouth. This was the right thing to do, he told himself. He had already paid back what he owed to Izaya for saving his life._

_Izaya turned to the stream, his face now hidden from the samurai's gaze. The demon touched the bark of the sakura tree, his clawed nails tapping lightly on the surface as his hand made contact._

" _I guess this is goodbye." They both knew that Tsugaru would be fighting soon. The city was almost suffocating under the apprehension._

_Tsugaru hesitated for a split second._

_Yet, he knew what he had to do._

" _Yeah…" he answered quietly and bowed to the demon's back. "Thank you, Izaya-san."_

_He left the clearing slowly, and it took a lot more effort than he thought it would a few months before to not look back._

Tsugaru sighed and shook his head as he downed another cup of sake. There was no reason to feel guilty, he told himself. He had made a promise to Izaya, and he had fulfilled that promise. There was no other reason for the two of them to meet anymore. Since Izaya wasn't threatening the city or his comrades, there was no reason to even mention the demon's name ever again.

_'Yet…'_

The man in front of him suddenly stood up and started walking over, his movements swift and fluid despite the alcohol.

' _Huh?'_ Tsugaru watched him closely, his hand moving down to his katana at his waist, prepared for the worst.

"There is no need," a deep voice told him, and he relaxed as the man sat down and took off his hat. The hair was still a little red, but there were no signs of horns and his ears were normal and human-like. "I'll have what he has," he told a server near him, who nodded and hastily fetched him a bottle.

The two remained silent until the newcomer's cup was filled with sake, and the man sipped it slowly, enjoying the taste. "This one is strong," he approved. "Was it the same one you gave to Izaya-sama?"

"He told you?" Tsugaru finally spoke.

Mamoru chuckled. "He was so excited."

The samurai hesitated, taking a sip of his own sake before daring to ask. "How is he?"

The other's reddish-brown eyes met his. "Same as before he met you, just drifting from human to human, attempting to make contact."

"Can't you help him?"

The man smiled a little sarcastically. "How, may I ask?"

"You managed to make yourself look normal enough," Tsugaru pointed out.

Mamoru laughed. "I will accept that compliment." He downed another cup, and the samurai began to wonder just how much alcohol demons could take since the other looked exactly the same as before, if not just a little more jolly. "This method we use devours a considerable amount of energy. Izaya-sama is still young for one of us, and his body will not be able to handle staying in this form for too long. The last thing I want to see is him accidentally turning back in the middle of Kyoto."

"So it's easy for you?"

"I have had decades of practice." His eyes seemed to be sizing up Tsugaru carefully, and the samurai couldn't decide whether or not the man thought him a threat. "You have not told anyone about Izaya-sama," he stated.

"Why would I?"

"They always tell…" Mamoru seemed mystified.

"Why is he so interested in us?" Tsugaru found himself asking.

The demon smiled, the nostalgia apparent in his eyes. "His father was the same: endlessly curious."

"Are we that interesting?"

Mamoru chuckled. "Sometimes." He eyed the party around them momentarily. "You, for example, different from all the others, are interesting." He stopped for a moment before hastily downing the rest of his sake directly from the bottle.

"Uh…" Tsugaru wanted to protest; even demons wouldn't be able to handle that much alcohol in one go, he assumed.

"My time is up," Mamoru said pleasantly as he stood up and placed the hat back on. "I must rest now."

"Ah, I see." Tsugaru remembered what he said about the spell that made them look human. "Take care."

The demons smiled from under his straw hat. "A very strange one indeed." He leaned back down until he was at eye level with Tsugaru and the samurai saw slit pupils.

"He asks often if I see you in the streets of Kyoto," Mamoru whispered.

Tsugaru found himself looking away, eyes downcast. "I see…"

"You will be fighting soon." Mamoru seemed contemplative. He turned to leave. "He will still be waiting at that sakura tree, Tsugaru-san." He gave the samurai a short bow, and then he was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

_He saw brown eyes through his swimming vision, wide with worry and lacking any of the hate he had become so accustomed to. The shape of their eyes were identical; it was just the color that threw him off. Tsugaru was never quite fond of his blue eyes though._

" _Izaya-sama!" he heard his savior calling his name, but he paid him no mind._

_The man who looked like Tsugaru said something, but all he could hear was a soft murmur through his dissipating consciousness. The voice was soft, calm like the one that had answered him under that sakura tree a century ago._

_Why can't he remember? He knew, somewhere in his mind, that the very idea of the other regaining Tsugaru's memories after all this time was irrational, yet there was always a chance, always the tiniest spark of hope that he desperately clung to._

" _Tsugaru…" he mouthed, but his lips would not listen to him, and he felt his body shudder. The spell was breaking, and he hoped Mamoru had enough common sense to whisk him away._

' _Tsugaru…' His vision was fading. He could feel his forehead burn as the horns began growing back._

' _Tsugaru…'_

' _Why can't you remember me?'_

.

Izaya woke with a start in his own bed, the sound of ripping cloth from his nails running through the sheets a clear indicator that he had turned back. He had grasped them so hard in his slumber that the sudden movement just tore the soft satin apart. The informant slowly touched his forehead to confirm the horns, now twice as long as the time he had met Tsugaru.

"Did he see?" he breathed.

"For a moment," a voice answered him from the doorway. He looked up to see Mamoru, now also in his demon form. Besides the horns, the man hadn't changed at all since the Meiji Period; he hadn't even tried cutting his hair to fit in more with the current culture, although Izaya had seen many who considered long dyed hair as stylish on the streets of Ikebukuro. Mamoru walked over to the bed, the worry in his eyes apparent despite his calm tone. "It seems that I was lucky to have chosen this time of the year to visit, Izaya-sama."

Izaya looked away, gritting his teeth as he began to retract his horns. The other stopped him, putting a large hand on his shoulder.

"Please, just rest for today. There is no need to stress yourself when there are no humans present."

"Namie might come back anytime…" Izaya replied even though he highly doubted that would happen. Mamoru had dealt with humans much longer than he had and was certain to have done something about the woman the moment he returned.

"I have already sent her away for a few days," the other demon reassured him, just as he expected him to.

Izaya sighed and let the spell go before falling back down onto the bed, absentmindedly winding his fingers through the ruined sheets. _'Shizu-chan… he saw…'_

Mamoru sat at the edge of the bed, the frown blatantly apparent on his face. Izaya prepared himself for a scolding and spoke before the other had a chance to. "I just happen to lose track of time. This doesn't happen often."

His attempt at thwarting the oncoming response with a reason for his mistake did not work. "You know your limits, Izaya-sama. Why do you push yourself so much? Even at my age, I can only handle a week at a time."

"You know how my job is, and Namie's here everyday so…" To be truthful, he felt secure in his human form, in the form Tsugaru was in. It was weak, yes, but it was comforting.

"At least put aside some time to rest at night. Even a short break will lessen the load."

The demon prince sighed, understanding his own irrationality yet willingly falling into it. "I know. I just…" he stopped there, unable to explain the swarm of emotions that swept through him. He had waited over a century to find his samurai, and when he did, the first thing the other did was attack him. He was angry, but at the same time, he felt an inexplicable sadness and an ongoing hope that eventually the protozoan would come around.

Eventually.

It was suffocating, the wait, and the dance they executed only got more dangerous every time their eyes met. Izaya knew that one of these days, he might snap completely and accidentally kill the other. It was a miracle that Tsugaru had been reborn this strong, or he would've died during their first encounter. Then again, if the other hadn't been given his monstrous power, perhaps the two would have been able to converse normally.

Maybe they wouldn't even have met. Izaya bit his lip, not accepting that conclusion. Maybe, if he hadn't developed this unnatural love of humanity, they wouldn't be fighting like this. But, it was this curiosity that took him away from home to Tokyo in the first place, so…

The other ruffled his hair, interrupting his tumultuous thoughts. "Just be careful next time. Remember that I have to report everything to your mother."

Izaya chuckled at this. Over a century of disobedience, and his mother still worried about him. "How is she doing?"

"Same as usual."

"You'd think she would've given up on me by now now that she has another son. I already told her I'm not going to take over."

"Your little brother wants to meet you though."

The demon snorted, turning around in his bed until his back was facing the other. "Would Mother even allow that? She should meet Mairu and Kururi."

"She knows about them already."

"Oh, yeah?" Izaya closed his eyes. "They're little monsters, all because of me."

.

Eve of the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, 1868. January 26.

The rustling of the leaves behind him made him start, and Izaya watched the forest intently for any signs of the trespasser. The number of humans carrying guns had increased a little too fast for him, and he had no desire to encounter one of those blasted pipes again. A branch cracked, and the demon tensed, ready to spring into action, when familiar blue and gold emerged from the bushes.

"Tsugaru?" He blinked several times to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him. _'He came back_ …'

"Izaya-san." The samurai nodded and hopped lightly over the stream.

The demon watched him approach, the surprise still apparent on his face as his eyes darted behind Tsugaru for any signs of treachery.

"I came alone," the other reassured him.

Izaya returned his gaze to the samurai, hiding his embarrassment with a frown. "Why?" The perplexity echoed clearly in his voice along with something that sounded very much like hope.

Tsugaru wondered what exactly the demon was hoping for. "To see you," he answered simply. He nodded to Kyoto's direction and dropped his voice, continuing softly. "We will be fighting tomorrow."

The demon chuckled at this, finally managing to relax. "And this prompted you to come and visit me?"

The samurai shrugged. "I just felt like it. Unless you're busy, then…"

"No!" the force with which the words came out of his mouth shocked both of them. "Uh… I mean…" Izaya lowered his voice to normal. "Stay. Talk with me."

Tsugaru smiled lightly and walked over to him, sitting against the sakura tree as he peered across the horizon to the distant sunset. He felt Izaya sit down next to him, and a light twinkle made him look at the demon. Izaya was holding the sake cup again, rolling it around in his clawed hands.

"Should I have brought some sake?"

Izaya grinned at him. "Should you be getting drunk before the big battle?" he returned.

Tsugaru smiled back. "I suppose not." He looked back at the sky, now a soft blend of warm orange and red. "Next time I will…" he found himself saying.

Izaya seemed to perk up at this. "Next time?"

He looked back to find excited eyes. He hesitated.

Tomorrow, there was no doubt in his mind that many of them will die. Tomorrow, the life he knew would be no more, and the flames of war would drag him away from this place, away from Izaya. The shogun and others were confident, of course, but he couldn't let go of the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong. How could he make such a promise to the demon, a promise that he might not be able to keep?

Izaya would live much longer than he would, centuries even, if the stories were true. Would he keep the other waiting like that, forever, if he died in battle?

 _'But, the world is fleeting.'_ The demon would find new humans to converse with. They would drink sake, probably under this very sakura tree, after Tsugaru was long gone. Time would move on, with or without a single samurai such as himself. Another would replace him.

 _'No!'_ He stopped at that sudden surge of anger. ' _What is this?'_ He bit his lip, wondering why he was feeling like this.

The demon looked on apprehensively as he continued to fight the internal battle with himself. Izaya's eyes gleamed blood red, just as they had the first night they had met: intense and full of curiosity. He wished he could keep those eyes for himself, away from the horrors of human life, away from everyone else.

"Izaya-san…" Tsugaru paused. What was it that he wanted to say? He didn't want to let the other go. Isn't that why his feet brought him here? What was it that he wanted?

"Drink with me again after," the words came out almost pleadingly.

Tsugaru suddenly realized that even Izaya knew that tomorrow this dream would be over.

' _But it isn't a dream…'_ He stood up and walked over to a patch of softer dirt next to the sakura tree.

Tsugaru took out his own sake cup, twirling in his fingers as Izaya eyed the object intently. He began digging.

"What are you doing?" Izaya asked him, peering over his shoulder as he deepened the hole.

"I'm going to bury my sake cup," Tsugaru told him, "as a promise that we'll drink sake under this tree again."

"Heh?" The demon's eyes brightened even more. "So you'll bring a stronger next time?"

"I know more than one brand," Tsugaru replied. He finally managed to create a sizable hole and carefully placed his cup inside. The samurai proceeded to cover the object when Izaya stopped him.

"Wait…" Izaya took out his cup and placed it beside Tsugaru's. The samurai looked at him. "Hey, it's not like I drink with anyone besides you anyway."

Those words softened him, and he suddenly realized what he was feeling earlier. _'Jealousy…'_ He was Izaya's closest human "friend." He didn't even want to think of the future when someone else would replace him after he had died in battle. No, he told himself. He was going to survive this and return. Someday, the two of them, oddities in this country of Japan, would meet again under this tree and share a drink and some stories.

The samurai gave him a smile and pushed the rest of the dirt back into the hole, covering the two cups.

"I promise…"

.

Start of the Boshin War, 1868. January 27.

He heard the roar of cannon fire in the distance as he tore up the hill, his feet lightly crushing the cold grass. Izaya finally reached the top and looked to Kyoto, where the lands south of the city seemed set ablaze by combat.

"It's begun…"


	6. Chapter 6

_He remembered sakura trees as far as the eye could see blooming in fields unobstructed by the stench of civilization, masking the unmistakable tension that blanketed over Edo, the coming of the end. Gleaming blades stained in blood, once revered and wielded with a merciless precision, were disappearing, replaced by the instruments they called guns. They were going to lose; he knew the moment that coward of a leader left them when the enemy raised the Imperial Standard._

_And him, the one with eyes that burned like brilliant flames and a curiosity as deep as the far ocean to match…  
_

' _What the hell is he?'_ Shizuo nearly growled out loud as he aimed a kick at a nearby can. The object bounced off the wall across the street with a clang, already flattened by the time it fell back down to the pavement. The sound seemed to drown out some of the foreign thoughts, granting the bodyguard a few moments of peace as he followed Tom down the street. Everything from two nights ago still seemed surreal to him: the horns, the man with red hair, the memories of the "demon" that stood among the sakura trees… The fact that the damned flea hasn't shown up in Ikebukuro since the incident only made him more confused. Izaya must have gotten Shinra to slip him something to mess with his mind, and it was sure doing its job well.

"Now don't get mad before meeting our client," Tom said casually before giving his kohai a grin. Their job took them to a relatively quiet residential area of Ikebukuro today, and it was still yet too early to cause a scene. Sighing, the bodyguard took out a cigarette from the box he kept in his back pocket and lit the cancer stick, the one source of calm he had thought to carry with him. He breathed in the nicotine like his life depended on it, feeling the smoke flow through him, hiding the thoughts that plagued his mind.

The bodyguard jammed his hands in his pockets for good measure as the two approached the apartment in case he threw a punch too quickly.

Tom knocked and waited patiently for the client to open the door as Shizuo started to tap his feet. They heard shuffling somewhere inside, but the minutes ticked by without any results, and after a while, it became apparent that the owner had no intention of seeing them.

"Maybe he went ou…" Tom offered, but they heard a crash before he could finish the sentence, and the bodyguard didn't bother to wait as he turned the handle and tore the door clean off of its hinges. The Fortissimo of Ikebukuro stormed into the apartment ready to catch the escaping debtor only to find broken glass all over the floor, remnants of the window in the dim one-room apartment. He peered through the jagged edges of the glass but found no signs of the escapee, only a rusty fire escape outside where the man must have run through.

"Damn, he got away," he hissed.

"Sorry for intruding," Tom said to the empty room when he suddenly gasped.

"What? Should we go after him?" Shizuo asked, turning around. The sight that met his eyes washed away all thoughts of the fire escape. He blinked several times to make sure it wasn't the trick of the light playing on his eyes, but the pictures remained where they were, blaring at him through the dim light.

"What the hell?"

Pictures of Izaya were strewn all throughout the walls of the apartment. The informant was on a rooftop, talking to some girls on the street, prowling through the alleys, hands in his pockets, going about his everyday antics… Then, there were photos of someone he didn't know in the flea's clothes: a man with a faraway gaze and eyes redder than the flea's rusty irises. He was looking down a railing at something below, at the sky, at some indiscernible location outside the frames of the picture…

Then, the final one that caught his eyes, pinned right in the middle of the stash, was a photo of a side profile of Izaya, a pair of clearly discernible horns on his forehead and red slit eyes, exactly like the ones he had seen just a few nights ago, staring at the moon above him.

"Tch…" He started to remember the events of that night, and once again, the two of them were standing under the sakura trees, petals whirling around them. _'What is this?'_

_The other muttered a few words to him and smiled.  
_

_'Who are you?'  
_

"Izaya has a stalker?" Tom's voice broke him from his reverie.

.

Tokugawa Yoshinobu flees aboard the _Kaiyou Maru_ , 1868. February.

It was finally nightfall, and the constant bombardment that had rattled the castle remained quiet for once, allowing him a few hours to himself while his comrades slept around the grounds, exhausted. Tsugaru let out a heavy sigh from where he sat against the wooden beam, the faint trail of moonlight washing over the deathly silent courtyard his only source of light. He felt restless, especially after what had happened, and the samurai unsheathed his sword yet again to clean off the blood. Again, he found that he had already done so prior.

Tsugaru placed his katana back in place and stared emptily at the barren pavement and dying vegetation no one had bothered to tend to after the battles had broken out. He remembered the grounds being quite beautiful and lush the last time he visited, but no matter how much he willed it, the dead grass remained as dead grass. Kyoto was up in flames, and the balance of power had finally shifted away from them, away from the shogunate. The luxuries they had enjoyed at the top had all been taken from them, perhaps forever.

He closed his eyes and willed his mind to rest just a few moments. A tired body would do him no good in the trials to come.

_He saw Izaya in his mind's eye standing under that sakura tree next to the small stream. It was finally spring, and light pink petals blew around them, the soft wind caressing his face and lifting the demon's long sleeves about. Izaya was smiling, eyes bright as he suddenly opened his mouth and whispered a few words._

" _Izaya-san?" he called to the other.  
_

_The demon grinned and held out a sake cup to him._

_Some birds were chirping in the distance, and…_

A shadow over him woke him from his light nap, and he looked up to see none other than a human Mamoru standing in front of him.

"Mamoru-san," he greeted the other, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. The demon nodded silently before looking around them for any trace of eavesdroppers. He found none.

"You are leaving tomorrow?" he finally asked, his voice low.

Tsugaru nodded. The demon sighed and seemed to contemplate this answer. Mamoru finally reached into his bag and removed a few sheets of paper along with some writing implements.

The samurai looked intently from the materials to the demon who was offering them to him. "For Izaya?"

"He would appreciate it," Mamoru explained.

The samurai smiled sadly as he took the paper. "I promised him I'd come back, you know."

"I know," Mamoru replied as he looked around him to the others, dead asleep from exhaustion, "but human life is fleeting. I hope that you would not be the one to teach him that lesson."

Tsugaru sighed as he prepared the ink. "I wish the same."

.

The cold winter air stung his nose, and he moved his freezing hands absentmindedly into his sleeves to rewarm them. As a demon, the cold didn't particularly affect him, but his exposed hands seemed to be cold these days no matter what he did.

Tsugaru lingered in his mind, and the results of the battle he had seen a few days earlier only added to his worry. They had lost; the banner had retreated towards Osaka. Izaya kept his distance, knowing that he would not fare any better in Osaka than in Kyoto, looking so different from the humans who warred with each other. He felt listless, useless even though he knew he was so much stronger than them in body. Yet, one against an army was impossible, even for a demon.

Izaya looked up from his seat when Mamoru entered the clearing, almost as if he had materialized straight in.

"Izaya-sama." The demon greeted him with a bow.

"Mamoru." Izaya stood up slowly, brushing his kimono off as the other approached him. He wanted to ask about Tsugaru, he really did, but each passing day the ropes that had seemed to wound around him only became tighter. If he said anything more, it would only put the samurai in danger for getting too close to him. He still wasn't sure if his mother had given Mamoru any orders of the sort.

However, the other seemed to sense his discomfort and reached into his pocket. He withdrew a folded piece of paper: a letter.

Izaya eyed the rice paper blankly as its owner's hands slowly brought it up to the demon prince. Was it from his mother? Or, he dared to hope, just a little, was it from…

Izaya looked up from the folded paper to Mamoru, eyes wide.

"Is it…"

"It's from Tsugaru-san," the other answered. Izaya hesitated, and Mamoru brought the letter closer to him. "I didn't read it," the red-haired demon reassured him.

Biting his lip, Izaya took the piece of paper from the other and slowly opened it. He had never seen Tsugaru's writing before, and the sight of its perfection nearly took his breath away. Each stroke was precisely executed, and not a single mistake stood out to him on the page, save for the first stroke - the tiniest of smudges where the writer must have hesitated. He touched the ink lightly, the rice paper a little worn under his hands.

Mamoru waited patiently as Izaya finally set his eyes on the content, mouthing silently as he read each word:

_Izaya-san,_

_I hope you are doing well. Mamoru told me that you are still in Kyoto. Please stay warm. It is still quite cold these past few days.  
_

_I am not sure how much you have heard about the war, so I'll tell you what I know. It's going to be a while before I can tell you any more stories.  
_

Izaya paused at that sentence. What did he mean? His hands shook as he continued:

_The shogun has betrayed us, his people. He retreated to Edo right after they announced that we were enemies of the emperor. I can understand his fears, but he has forgotten his duty, his honor.  
_

_The others have already lost the will to fight. It is likely that Osaka Castle will have already fallen by the time you read this.  
_

_We will be departing to Edo to regroup by sea. The ones who remain will surely surrender or die fighting._

_I'm afraid I'll be quite far away from Kyoto for a while. I hope that you'll be okay on your own, Izaya-san._

_It would've been nice if we had been able to see your sakura tree bloom._

Izaya reread the letter again, the realization sinking in with every word. Tsugaru was gone. He had left Kyoto. He looked up to Mamoru, who seemed unwilling to answer his forming question.

"They've retreated to Edo safely," the other demon finally confirmed.

"To the East?" Izaya asked.

"You should not follow them, Izaya-sama," Mamoru immediately replied.

The demon bit his lip and looked away. He knew he was wearing his emotions on his face now, and it was inevitable that Mamoru would figure out what he was thinking.

As he expected, the other didn't relent. "What do you hope to gain by following him? There are many humans. You're sure to find another more interesting one eventually."

Izaya remained silent at this.

"Remember what happened to your father. They may seem docile now, but even the strongest can be tamed by his peers. He is not yours alone, Izaya-sama. He has friends that he has to protect, and if he had to choose between you or them…"

"Stop!" Izaya trembled. "Please… just stop."

Mamoru sighed. "I know he is a good person. That's why I asked him to write to you. But… it's time to find a replacement."

"You're wrong," Izaya muttered under his breath as he carefully folded the letter and placed it in his sleeve. He stood up to leave, and Mamoru made no move to stop him.

"You shouldn't go after the damned. There are always others."

"You're wrong…" the demon prince repeated before looking at the sakura tree that had kept him company for all these months, just like the samurai had done. Tsugaru was unique among humans, and the thought of losing him made him want to charge right into Kyoto and slay the ones who had started this senseless war.

"Humans aren't things that can be replaced like toys."

To his mild surprise, Mamoru smiled. "You are just like your father…"


	7. Chapter 7

Izaya trudged through the streets of Ikebukuro, his hood pulled far over his eyes to shield them from the relentless afternoon sun. He had insisted on heading out for a few hours despite Mamoru's protests, and now he found himself regretting it more and more with every step he took. The red haired demon was right; he needed to rest for a few days. However, work was demanding, and a few of his clients, particularly one of the Awakusu-kai, required face to face meetings.

The demon sighed, deciding to dodge into a nearby alley to rest for a moment. He found a slightly cleaner wall, far enough from the bustling crowd and blinding sunlight, and leaned against it in relief before taking out one of his many cellphones. The screen indicated more than a dozen messages that had popped up since he departed from Shinjuku.

"Really now, humans are so demanding." He grinned despite the weariness. It had been over a century since he had walked among them undetected, and they still never ceased to amaze him.

He had used it as a distraction at first, one that kept him going day after day as he waited for the time that he would meet Tsugaru again, but now he felt as if he had completely submerged himself in the world of humans. Not a day goes by that he did not leave his apartment to mingle with them, and not two days go by without the Fortissimo of Ikebukuro finding him.

He stopped texting for a moment and sighed, reveling in a distant memory that had suddenly attached itself to his thoughts. He allowed himself this weakness occasionally during quiet moments like this, but memories just weren't enough.

Tsugaru was real, and he was here, in Ikebukuro. He was just a little far away at the moment, or so he told himself time after time.

His ears detected an odd sound and he stopped his tormenting thoughts in favor of the present.

It was quiet here… too quiet…

.

Shizuo was resolute. He reinforced his decision over and over again in his mind as he made his way through Ikebukuro. He was going to track down the flea and get to the bottom of this - horns, sakura trees, sunsets - all of it. The one in his memories was Izaya; he didn't know how, but he was sure of it. The question of why he was thinking of the flea in such a way ate away at his every waking moment, and he wasn't about to let the informant win over his mind like this.

Even worse, every time a new memory struck him, it left his heart fluttering, like it had been warmed next to some heater on a cold winter's day. Was the flea trying to give him a heart attack?

 _'This isn't natural,'_ he told himself once again as he thought of the one in his memories. _'It's his fault.'_

As if it was fate, he caught the flea's "scent" soon enough, and followed it until he saw the informant himself walking down the streets of Ikebukuro, hood pulled over his eyes.

 _'That's strange,'_ Shizuo thought. It wasn't rare for Izaya to bundle up every now and then, but the weather wasn't particularly cold, and such an action during the middle of the day wouldn't hide the flea's obvious trademark coat away from the eyes of the public.

He saw the furry hood disappear behind a corner and made to follow, automatically reaching out for the stop sign next to him.

"Hm?" A man near the alley the flea had walked into was glancing left and right a little too obviously before following the informant's footsteps. _'A client?'_

The metal pole twisted under his hands, and he wrenched it cleanly off its hinges as the crowd around him began to noticeably disperse.

"I'll get you this time," he muttered under his breath, stomping towards the alley.

 _'Wait, what if that guy's not a client?'_ He paused, and after a brief thought, decided to head down the adjacent street.

.

Izaya began edging away from the corner of the wall. He heard footsteps, far too slow and quiet to be a normal pedestrian or a certain protozoan. It had been a while since he had gone through Ikebukuro so long without Shizuo making a racket behind him, so this long missed silence gave him the chills. He hadn't heard them for a time now, but he was certain footsteps like these did not bode well.

The demon began to walk away in a steady stride, shrugging away his panicking thoughts. He had his switchblade with him after all, and it made no sense for anyone to try anything during this time of day. He began walking faster. But, people are known not to help when they see someone in dangerous situations, especially someone like him, who was already well-known to always encounter dangerous bouts with a certain bodyguard.

"Tch…" Izaya grit his teeth. _'Why am I so nervous? This isn't like me.'_ His heart began to beat faster, but he knew exactly what it was that bothered him. In this state, if anything were to happen, he'd turn back instantly and the entire world would know of his "condition."

' _This alley is empty though,'_ he started to formulate a course of action. If he could get whoever was following him to a more isolated location, then he could… He shook his head. _'What am I thinking? I must be tired.'_ Losing the stranger was a better solution.

' _Let's see…'_ He hated this feeling of being followed. He never showed it, but it was a well known fact that he was a hard man to track. Try following, and he'd be gone before you'd know it, unless you were Shizuo. The ones from _that time_ had followed them without him noticing, and he wasn't about to let anything like that happen ever again.

' _Never again…'_

Izaya turned a corner and heard the footsteps quicken. Was he really followed this often? He knew he was always too preoccupied with Shizuo to notice, and anyone in their right mind would leave the two alone during their many fights. _'Maybe it's Shiki's men?'_

"Hey, what are you doing?" a familiar voice growled.

Izaya let out a muffled yell as he crashed straight into a man in a bartender suit. _'Oh, not good…'_

He heard the footsteps behind him turn tail and run when whoever it was saw Shizuo. He almost let out a sigh of relief but held it in the last moment before turning to face the blond, rubbing his stinging nose.

"Unlike a certain protozoan I know, I have work." He saw brown eyes, twisted in what could only be called "displeasure." It wasn't like he had never seen those eyes content and calm; when Shizuo talked to Tom he was as calm as Tsugaru had been. Izaya almost framed the other out of jealously, but he held back the last moment after a long drawn-out consultation with Mamoru.

"Must be shitty work," the bodyguard growled, taking a step forward. Izaya saw Shizuo glance briefly past him.

' _Did he see the guy?'_ Izaya realized.

"So…" A clang drew Izaya's attention to the stop sign Shizuo was holding. "What are you planning?" he asked, deciding to take the upfront approach.

"Huh?" Izaya blinked. For once, he wasn't really planning anything in particular.

"Don't play dumb with me. I saw them," the bodyguard repeated.

"Saw what?" Izaya managed to keep his composure. _'My true form?'_

"These," Shizuo pointed at his forehead with a hooked finger. "Horns."

"I… uh… I was working." He realized how strange that reason sounded and reaffirmed to himself once again that the first excuse to grace his mind wasn't always the best response. "It was a costume I got from the store, nothing that concerns you." The last four words nearly ripped his heart out.

"Like cosplay?"

"That's a way of putting it!" Izaya laughed nervously, glancing for an opening. In his state, there was none. _'What am I doing?'_ Still, he found himself feeling the smallest hint of warmth that the two of them had exchanged words for more than a minute without anyone attempting a blow.

"Then what is this?" Shizuo pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. It was the photograph he had snatched from the stalker's room, but he wasn't about to tell the flea about how he came across it. Not yet, anyway.

Izaya stared at the picture, eyes widening. He grabbed at it, but the other raised it out of his reach.

"Where did you get that?"

"Some crazy guy was following you." Shizuo looked behind him again, and Izaya suddenly realized that the bodyguard had noticed the entire time that someone had entered this isolated alley behind him.

"Is that so?" He tried to think it through slowly. So, Shizuo knew about his demon appearance, but that didn't mean that the bodyguard suspected anything too strange, right?

"Are you playing some sick mind games on me?" Shizuo suddenly accused, as Izaya was trying to collect his thoughts.

"Huh?" Izaya answered again, annoyed that he had replied so dumbly twice in the same day. Shizuo seemed furious. "What do you mean?" He knew his actual confusion this time was only adding fire to the fuel.

"Is this some kind of kink?" Shizuo pocketed the picture, grimacing. "You with horns and pointed ears…"

"Shizu-chan, it's cosplay, remember?" Izaya could not believe the conclusion the other was drawing from all this.

"Then why am I getting all these weird visions?"

' _Visions? Could it be?'_ Izaya took a breath. "Shizu-chan…"

"Look, I know that you're sick-minded, but seriously. Just in case you don't know already, I don't have a thing for _monsters_ standing under sakura trees."

Izaya blinked, and he realized that his vision was blurry. _'What?'_ He reached up to his eyes and felt that the corner was damp. The informant made to speak, but Shizuo suddenly groaned and took a step back.

"Damn it, what the hell?" The bodyguard had his free hand on his forehead now, as if he had a headache.

' _He's…'_ Izaya watched the other with wide eyes. _'Could it be?'_

"Shizu-chan… What do you see?" he asked, unable to contain the excitement in his voice. He couldn't believe it. Shizuo was really starting to get traces of Tsugaru's memories back!

The bodyguard looked up at him, eyes glazed. "So it is you!" Despite the momentary trace of calmness that could only be Tsugaru's, the anger in his eyes now was unmistakable. "You monster!"

The word, now spoken twice, stopped the informant in his tracks.

_"Monster!" the boy had called him, eyes burning with hatred and fear that only the unknown could do to a human._

"You're the monster," Izaya found himself growling through gritted teeth, feeling the anger well up in him, although nowhere in comparison to the sinking hole his stomach had just fallen into. _'Tsugaru finally called me a monster…'_

"Stop it already!" Shizuo yelled to him.

 _'A monster…'_ Izaya took a step back, trying to keep his anger in check. It was just like that day, their first meeting at Raira Academy…

The stop sign came down at him.

.

Beginning of Spring, 1868. March.

Tsugaru placed his brush down and rolled up the unfinished letter before blowing out the candle. He sat there in the darkness for a few moments, the remnants of candle smoke still lingering in the room. Finally sighing, the samurai got up and lightly placed the letter into his pouch, now filled with a dozen other sheets that Mamoru would never be able to deliver.

After a few weeks here in Edo, he admitted that he missed Kyoto. The well-organized blocked streets, the Kamo River that ran through the city, the familiar mountains that burned once a year in the summer, the demon who waited for him beneath a massive sakura tree next to a stream…

Izaya, the one that had accepted who he was unconditionally… The demon was not here in the East.

Tsugaru crawled into his futon and nearly flung the bag of letters to the side before catching himself last minute and set it down softly.

He put his head down on the hard pillow.

With the war going as it was, it was highly unlikely that he would ever be returning to Kyoto. It was unlikely that he would even survive the battles to come.

He knew it, deep in his heart, even during that moment he had buried their sake cups beneath the tree.

He had lied to the demon.

That thought, and the idea that Izaya was waiting for him under that sakura tree, waiting for someone that was never going to return, made his heart clench.

He had lied.

"Izaya-san…"

Brilliant red eyes accompanied by a small smile danced in his mind as sleep finally took him.

.

Izaya breathed in the salty air, feeling the ocean breeze sweep through his hair. His straw hat started to slide off, and he grasped it just in time to save it from the clutches of another strong gust.

"Careful, Izaya-sama." Mamoru had taken the place beside him on deck, his own normal human features unobstructed by anything as inconvenient as a hat on this windy ship.

The older demon had secured them both a voyage to Edo, and Izaya was jittery the moment he set foot on the boat, partly because it was his first trip to the ocean and partly because the other watched him like a hawk to ensure that his nature was not revealed to the other passengers.

He thought about Tsugaru, the human that he had suddenly met that night under that sakura tree, nearly half a year ago. Why did he try so hard for a mere human?

Izaya rested his chin on the boat rails, a hand still steadying his straw hat. He understood that humans disappear quickly, sometimes even faster than a full cycle of the seasons, but that didn't stop him from coming into this boat. Mamoru said that he was like his father, but it wasn't an interest in humans that kept him searching for Tsugaru. He knew what interest was, but this seemed different, like something more.

He felt empty those few weeks by himself, even with the frequent visits from Mamoru. It was alien to him; he had never gotten so attached to something in his life, something so fleeting.

It was beautiful, fresh like the ocean breeze that now blew at him, playfully trying to take his hat away, yet it was painful, every moment he spent thinking about the samurai.

"Hm…" he sighed.

"What is it, Izaya-sama?"

"I think I…" he stopped, unwilling to finish that sentence. Izaya looked back at the ocean. _'What is it that I want to say?'_

Mamoru straightened Izaya's hat to reassure him, but the demon prince could see a frown on the other's mouth out of the corner of his eye.


	8. Chapter 8

A clang resounded throughout the alley, echoing through the following silence as its two original occupants stared wide-eyed upon a third.

"Swinging something like that around is a little dangerous, don't you think?" Akabayashi asked the bodyguard lightly as he kept his cane steady against the stop sign initially aimed at Izaya.

"Don't get in my way," Shizuo growled in response, sweat still trickling down his forehead. The hatred in his brown eyes shone clearly, and the wave of memories that had surely just washed through his mind seemed to have stopped for the time being.

On the other hand, the red haired yakuza returned his opponent's glare with a wide grin. "And just what am I in the way of, may I ask?" The cane moved an inch forward, forcing the stop sign back despite its wielder's strength. The creak of bending metal accompanied the stress marks that continued to slowly build along the iron pole. The two stared at each other expectantly, daring the other to make the first move. Shizuo could not recall a time he had felt this from an opponent other than the flea during those rare brief moments Izaya stood still enough for the tension to set in. The man in front of him was dangerous.

"Stop, Akabayashi," a quiet voice suddenly cut the air.

The two turned to the informant in surprise. Shizuo could not make out the flea's expression, as Izaya had pulled his hood further down over his face while his attention was still focused on the one called "Akabayashi." He imagined the other smirking like usual, probably enjoying the death match he had, and Shizuo admitted that it was odd, just stopped.

Akabayashi seemed just as perplexed. "Are you sure?"

"Thanks. It's already enough," the voice came out strangely strained, and Shizuo saw the informant wipe at his face with a furry sleeve.

"But he…" the yakuza tried to argue, fired up even more after the gesture.

"Enough!" Remnants of the informant's voice echoed through the alleys as Akabayashi closed his mouth and Shizuo nearly lost his grip on the stop sign. Since when could the informant yell like that?

Izaya took a step back, surprised by his own force. Face hidden by the shadows of his hood, he finally turned and ran from the two, disappearing around the corner.

"Great, you made him cry again, asshole." Akabayashi sighed and swung to the side, ripping the stop sign from Shizuo's hands. The wall where the object landed suffered a small crack. "I'd love to kick your ass right now, but my dad might kick mine if anything happens to Izaya." He lowered the cane. "I guess I'll be seeing you again later then," he said casually, giving the other a wave before going after the informant. The smile never left his face throughout the entire provocation.

Shizuo glared at the spot where the two had disappeared, his confusion finally prevailing over his initial rage.

 _'So the flea was really…'_ He grimaced. _'Impossible.'_

"And what did that bastard mean by, 'again'?" he muttered, attempting to distract himself as he picked up the discarded stop sign. He had never met someone who could match him in strength like this before. "Ugh…" Shizuo put a hand to his head when it suddenly pulsed again, this time weakly.

_Bright red eyes stared at him, the sky behind their owner melting into the sunset. He felt a warm hand, trembling ever so slightly, around his own._

_Something wet fell onto his hands, and he looked up weakly to the other, making to wipe the tears away. However, his hands, always firm and powerful around the katana, dropped to the ground before he could even touch the other's face. He felt limp, as if everything had suddenly slowed down for him, except for the one before him._

" _Tsugaru…"_

_He almost heard his heart crack. He tried to say something, but his lungs threatened to give way with the little energy he had left._

_"Tsugaru!"_

_If he could only move his hand, to keep on assuring the other that this was okay, that the demon shouldn't blame himself for what had happened… That he'll always love him, no matter what… He feared his words were not going to be enough._

_His vision started to fade._

" _Iza…" He felt his last breath leave his lungs and all turned to black._

A snap brought Shizuo back to reality, and he looked down to see his former weapon lying in two pieces at his feet.

.

"Oi!"

Izaya heard footsteps behind him but didn't bother to slow down. His vision had started to swim, but he kept on going, willing the soreness to overtake the aching in his chest. He hadn't intended it to be like this. If he had known that something like that this was going to happen then he…

_'Tsugaru…'_

"Hey! I said stop!"

A hand grabbed his, and Izaya finally came to a halt, nearly wheezing. He tried to catch his breath but ended up coughing, feeling his eyes watering as he peered through the tears at the yakuza.

"Sheesh, you've got to be careful in times like these," Akabayashi told him, pulling his hood further over his head. "What if someone sees you transform back?"

"What does it matter?" Izaya muttered. "And, if you haven't noticed, I haven't turned back yet."

"I know, but your eyes are swollen. Can't have them seeing that either."

"Tch…" Izaya looked the other way, keeping his eyes fixated on the ground. "Did Shiki tell you to come get me?"

"Nah, I already told him that you'll be late."

That only left one person. "Then, Mamoru?"

Akabayashi scratched his head. "Yeah, Dad said to keep an eye on you."

"He worries too much."

"Hey hey, if I were in his shoes, I'd worry too. I mean, look at you." He really wished Izaya could see how those swollen eyes were glaring at him now. He definitely needed to think of an excuse to keep Izaya away from Shiki for at least a day. He had never seen the demon prince like this in public, but then again, he had rarely seen Izaya fazed by anything at all save for the briefest of grimaces whenever Shizuo was involved. The yakuza bit his lip. A demon prince, more than a century old, affected so much by a mere human… "I really don't know what you see in that guy." All he saw was a blond haired punk with a fuse shorter than his cigarette butt.

"He's Tsugaru," Izaya answered simply.

Akabayashi sighed. Granted, he's never met the guy, but he was certain that this "Tsugaru" didn't go around throwing public property. "You know people don't normally get memories of their past lives back, right?"

"But he…" Izaya paused. Now that he thought of it, everything could've been coincidence: maybe Shizu-chan had some weird dreams or something from the photo. After all, the human mind makes up the most irrational of stories to explain the unknown.

"He might not even be that guy, you know?" Akabayashi continued, but he had already hit the wall.

"No… I'm sure of it…" Izaya replied.

"How so?"

"I'm just sure." He just knew. It wasn't something that could be explained, but, even as the two of them passed the days as mortal enemies in spite of a hundred years ago, he knew for sure that Shizuo was Tsugaru.

"Why can't you just tell him?" Izaya flinched, and the red haired yakuza allowed himself a grin. "Don't tell me you didn't think of this before?"

"He's not going to believe me," the informant replied softly.

"You never know."

"He attacked me the first time he saw me at Raira."

"Well that's…" Akabayashi couldn't think of an explanation for that.

"It must be retribution…" Izaya started walking again, and Akabayashi followed after closely. "It was my fault he died after all."

"And you'd make him suffer along with you?"

"You don't understand." Izaya smiled. "When he suffers, I suffer too."

.

Sakura trees bloom in Edo, 1868. April.

Tsugaru walked down one of the busy streets of Edo, pulling his hat over his eyes in an attempt to escape the constant stares of the civilians of the bustling city. He felt restless these past days as the higher ups continued their discussions of a suitable course of action now that Tokugawa Yoshinobu had isolated himself in a temple. There wasn't much for soldiers like him to do other than to patrol the streets and calm whatever trouble they ran across. At least, that was what true samurai like him did.

The samurai let out a sigh as he peered over the crowd of black haired heads, none of which had horns. He stopped himself. Why would they have horns? They were just people, going along with their usual lives, unaffected too much by the war started in the West.

"Izaya," he muttered under his breath, knowing that the demon wouldn't answer him, especially in crowded place like this. The other had probably found someone new to talk with; Kyoto wasn't the only city in the West, and he was certain that if the little demon prince hadn't forgotten him on his own by now, Mamoru would've done something about it.

He did appreciate the final gesture the older demon gave him however, and he wondered if Izaya had ever gotten the letter. He wanted to write more, but one of his comrades had started to stir, and Mamoru disappeared as quickly as he had appeared as soon as Tsugaru's shortened letter entered his hands.

The flow of humans was smooth and swift, not a sign of trouble in sight. Only black hair, buckets of fish, excited children running around their parents, a tall man with a straw hat, a portion of red hair flowing down his back…

"Mamoru?" Tsugaru mouthed. It wasn't normal at all to see a Japanese man with red hair. To his surprise, the person actually nodded and started to walk in his direction through the flow of traffic.

' _It really is him!'_ If Mamoru was here, then was Izaya… _'Perhaps he's here to deliver a letter?'_ he thought instead, knowing it was a small to no chance that the demon prince had followed him all the way to Edo. He waited apprehensively for the demon to approach, and he did, only to pass him and stop next to him, still facing the opposite direction.

"There is a grove of cherry trees up in the northwest corner of Edo. I heard they just started blooming quite nicely this past week," Mamoru said, his face expressionless. He nodded to no one in particular and continued on his way, pulling his hat a little more over his eyes.

Tsugaru turned, his mouth opened with a response, but the demon had gone.

.

The samurai had found the aforementioned grove easily enough; he could see its bright colors from afar. Getting there, however, took him longer than expected, and by the time he reached the first of the blooming giants, the sun had started to set. He could make out red among the branches, and took a breath of anticipation as he moved deeper into the trees.

He stepped into the clearing as he brushed some of the flower rimmed branches aside.

Izaya turned around when he heard the rustling leaves, his eyes widening when he saw the samurai. Then, the two of them were standing beneath the same sakura tree, its soft pink petals fluttering around them as the spring breeze picked up.

The demon, eyes as beautiful as the blood red sunset rays of the dying sun, was here, realer than any dream.

"Hey… Tsugaru…" Izaya's voice came out a little hesitantly, as if he didn't know what to say to the samurai.

Tsugaru took one, two steps. His pace picked up until he finally reached the demon, and in a sudden wide gesture, he threw his arms around the other, the folds of his blue haori mixing in with Izaya's red kimono. Izaya was concrete; he was here, under the sakura trees of Edo. He understood now, why he had been unable to get the other out of his mind, in this place so far from what he used to call home.

"Tsugaru…" the demon called his name again. Why did Izaya sound so unsure of himself? He held the other tighter.

They stayed like that for a while, a dancing flame at the edge of the vast blue ocean only a speck among the soft petals that whirled around them.

Tsugaru felt a pair of arms finally make their way around him in response. Izaya still looked unsure, but this time his mouth was half opened, as if he wanted very much to say something but couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Hey, say something," Izaya finally mumbled, the faintest of blushes dusting his cheeks as he dodged whatever he wanted to say at the last second. He buried his face in the folds of Tsugaru's kimonos in an attempt to hide, but his reddening ears still gave him away.

Tsugaru hesitated for a moment. What if he was wrong? What if he was misinterpreting everything? He's never been around people for a long time and has of course never encountered this sort of situation. What was he supposed to do?

Izaya finally looked up, wide eyes still hesitating. The demon opened his mouth again in an attempt. It was then Tsugaru decided to lean in.

The kiss was chaste, and reciprocated, to his relief. Tsugaru drew back, confidence renewed. He knew what Izaya wanted to say.

"Ah…" Apparently the kiss had taken away the rest of Izaya's voice.

The samurai smiled warmly as he bent forward and whispered in the demon's ear. He'll talk for the both of them.


	9. Chapter 9

_'I hate them. I hate the ones who killed you.'_

Izaya airily watched the clean-up from his place by the crates, the sounds of punching resonating through his ears as Shiki's men pounded on the ones he had lured to this remote warehouse. It had been three days since Akabayashi practically placed him under house arrest in the guise of a short vacation, but the regained energy did nothing for the constant uneasiness that ate away at his heart. The other had insisted that he take another day off, but Izaya adamantly went straight back to work, the scene before him the fruits of a mere 2 hours of his labor.

' _3 days…'_ He hadn't seen Shizuo for three entire days, and he was not about to start searching for the other anytime soon. Too much work had built up during his short absence, and he still wanted some time to think before seeing the bodyguard again. Working seemed to calm him a little, but no matter where he turned, he could only hear that one word echo through his head like a curse.

' _Monster…'_

' _Monster!'_

He had heard that word so many times, too many times. He himself had used it so freely with Shizuo, a curse casted so often that he lost count.

"Oi! Look out!" a sudden augmented yell brought him back into reality in time to dodge an underling who had lunged his way.

"You damned traitor!" the man hissed before jumping at him again. The switchblade had already slid into his hand, only a click away from drawing blood, but then Izaya realized a second too late that the gleam in the other's hand wasn't a watch. A burning pain shot through his right palm as his attacker's knife made its way through, and the switchblade he had almost been able to draw dropped uselessly to the floor.

Izaya stared at the blood that started to flow with wide eyes. _'I hate them all.'_ The words echoed repeatedly through his head as he took a step back, something the attacker took as a sign of weakness. ' _They should die.'_

"No, I love all humans," Izaya whispered as the man picked up his own discarded switchblade from the floor.

"Orihara!" Shiki yelled from across the room. The yakuza executive took one, two, steps, and stopped in his tracks when he heard a muffled scream. The punk that had gone after his informant went flying across the room and crashed into a crate, splintering the wood and landing inside with a groan.

Izaya gritted his teeth and pulled out the knife with one swift motion, feeling the wound begin to close as soon as the foreign object was gone. "Shit," he muttered under his breath as he tossed the offensive weapon aside. He backed away from the fight and leaned against the wall, grasping his wrist tightly as he waited for the pain to subside.

 _'Die. Die. Die.'_ He could feel the anger surge in his stomach, and he closed his eyes, willing for the fire to die down. He couldn't lose it, not now.

_"Tsugaru!" Anger. Fear. Everything overwhelmed him at once, and his mind became a blank puppet to the one command that shot through his entire body. 'Kill…'_

The fighting slowly died out as the last of the members surrendered, and Izaya could hear Shiki's men dragging the others outside while he waited for the pain in his palm to subside. He focused on calming his breathing first as he willed the negative thoughts away. "No, I love all humans," he muttered again to himself. _'I promised him…'_

"Here," a low voice broke him from his trance, prompting Izaya to look up. A handkerchief had taken the spot in front of his face. He snatched it from Shiki and wrapped it around his hand lest the other saw that it had already fully healed. "It's not like you to get that distracted," Shiki commented, watching the other with an indiscernible expression.

"Even I make mistakes every now and then," Izaya replied quietly. He hoped he wasn't sweating too much, but he supposed that was normal for a human in pain. However, his state was the fault of something far more complex than the feeling of pain.

"That was quite an impressive mistake," Shiki commented, looking behind him at the destroyed crate. His men had already moved the attacker outside to deal with accordingly.

Izaya shrugged, plastering his usual grin back on his face. "In the face of danger, the human body does some amazing things," he explained easily. Humans like Shizu-chan existed in this world after all. The thought of the bodyguard quieted him, and he concentrated instead on keeping his gaze steady. He knew the other suspected something strange, but Shiki had always been quite lenient with him, especially with Akabayashi around. "Well then, since we're done here…" he moved from his place against the wall to make his swift retreat.

"Off to another job so soon?" Shiki asked after him.

"Unless you're offering me lunch," Izaya replied playfully.

"I'm guessing that you'd turn me down today even if I did."

Izaya stopped, whirling around on his toes. "What makes you think that?"

"I've known you for a long time. Even I can recognize some of your moods by now."

"Hm…" Izaya suddenly wished that he had a mirror with him right now, as much as he hated those things. "What mood am I in?" he asked, his tone light. He had been in this business for such a long time that his masks were nearly automatic no matter what went through his mind at the moment, but he admitted even to himself that he had not been in the best state of mind lately.

_'What expression do I have on my face?'_

Shiki smirked. "You're frustrated with something. I'm guessing that you'll be drowning yourself in work to bury it away."

"What makes you say that?" He admitted to himself that that was the ideal plan though.

"You've done that several times in the past, you know."

This definitely caught Izaya by surprise. He supposed after a moment that it would be impossible for a man like Shiki to not recognize little details such as these.

They stared at each other for a good while before the yakuza executive finally took out his cigarette box. "What you do that does not involve the Awakusu-kai does not concern me, but at least get that treated first. It would trouble me if our best informant lost his texting hand."

Izaya chuckled, finally feeling the tension break. "Don't worry about me. Have fun with the clean up!"

He retreated out of the warehouse after a last backward wave, deciding to go to Shinra's after all to pick up some bandages.

Several blocks down and a safe distance away, Izaya took the handkerchief off, wiping the off remaining dampness before stuffing his hand in his pocket.

"So even he's noticed…" the demon muttered.

.

"Yo!"

Shizuo instinctively grabbed the unfortunate lamppost next to him and was just about to wrench the object off the floor when a hand stopped him.

"Relax. I'm not here to fight," a familiar voice said pleasantly.

"You…" he growled back, slowly letting go of the pole when the grip on his hand didn't sway.

The other withdrew his hand, grinning as Shizuo flexed it to check for damage or tears to his shirt. The man had an unusually strong grip. "You need to control that anger. Orihara must have been devastated when he learned his beloved Tsugaru turned into such a short-tempered punk."

"I'm not Tsugaru!" Shizuo snapped, the anger welling up in him again despite himself.

"But you have his memories." Shizuo opened his mouth to object but closed it, frowning. The man smiled. "See, even you can't deny it, huh?"

Shizuo had been so intent on denying it, but the emotions from the last memory didn't relent. He had waited and waited, but he could still feel the anguish, the desperation, the look on the demon's face as everything faded away… They weren't completely foreign emotions to him, but he had never experienced them so intensely.

"What did the flea do to me?" the bodyguard asked quietly, telling himself that he wasn't going to get any answers from this guy if he were to start fighting now. Besides, there was something strangely off about this man.

"It's not a drug, I can tell you that much." The man motioned to the park. "Let's move. It's getting a little noisy here."

"Tch…" Indeed, the crowd had become noticeably thicker after Shizuo laid his hands on the pole and didn't uproot it. "Fine… you…."

"Akabayashi," the other clarified his name.

He grudgingly followed the one called Akabayashi into the adjacent park, stuffing his hands in his pocket after lighting a cigarette.

"You can't expect me to believe any of this. It just doesn't make any sense," Shizuo told the other on an isolated park bench a few minutes later. Being away from the loud scuffle of the main street seemed to have calmed his senses a little, but he still refused to accept what Akabayashi had surely come to tell him.

"Sure it does. You've just been too stubborn to accept it, and Orihara's been too cowardly to tell you." Akabayashi frowned. "Makes sense though, considering how you attacked him during your first meeting."

"He attacked me back!"

Akabayashi laughed. "You should know how fast a demon's reflexes can be."

"He's…"

"He's not human. You know that right? No mere human can survive after being pounded around so many times by you like that."

"Tch…"

"Look, I'm just suggesting that you go talk to him without throwing something at him. It might do you two some good."

Shizuo sighed, still bristling with the thought. "I can't accept any of this," he repeated.

"Well, accept it soon before all hell breaks loose."

The bodyguard glared at him. "You don't know half of what that flea's done."

Akabayashi grinned. "And you don't know half of what he could've done." A small beep from his pocket prompted him to shift his attention away from Shizuo for a moment as he took out his phone. "Huh, looks like he might start any time now."

.

Surrender of Edo, 1868. May.

Tsugaru could hear the light tap of rain outside his single room residence, rented with the money he had saved up all these years. The weather was still comfortably cool this late in spring, but the humidity had already begun to set it, clinging to his skin mercilessly when he woke up a little before the sun rose.

Tsugaru planted a light kiss on Izaya's forehead, his fingertips ghosting over one of the small horns that stuck out through the other's black silky hair. The form next to him shifted groggily, and he drew the other closer despite the heat. Their legs were tangled among the sheets, and Izaya nestled his head just under Tsugaru's chin, his breath tickling the samurai's chest.

Tsugaru closed his eyes again, his heart clenching. This will not last.

This happiness will not last.

"Tsugaru-san! Tsugaru-san!" Someone called from outside the sliding door at the break of dawn. He untangled himself from the sheets and made his way across the tatami, stopping just long enough to grab his discarded kimono and hurryingly tied the garment on. "Tsu…" the speaker stopped as Tsugaru opened the paper door just a crack.

"Oh, uh…" the man blushed when he saw someone else stir in the dim room. "My apologies," he whispered.

"Is it the negotiations?" Tsugaru inquired. It had all happened so quickly that reality still hadn't quite hit him or the rest of his comrades. Before they were able to react, the enemy had already surrounded them, and all that kept this suffocating peace was the fact that their very own Army Minister was off to discuss the terms of a possible cease-fire with the opposing leader.

"Unconditional surrender," the man reported grimly. "It's over."

Tsugaru contemplated silently for a moment, sparing the blankets behind him a glance before turning back to his comrade. "Do you really mean that?"

The man smiled slightly. "You really are too loyal to your lords." He glanced behind him for any signs of activity in the empty corridor before continuing. "Of course several of our groups refuse to surrender, but they'll surely fall without the rest of our support. Going with them will be a death sentence."

"And the others?"

The man shrugged. "It's an unconditional surrender." He smiled when Tsugaru seemed to still be expecting another answer. "There's another group of us heading up north on the ships. Enomoto-san has refused to surrender all of his vessels. They'll be leaving tonight, so it's best to make up your mind before then."

"I see…"

"I'll be going also, Tsugaru-san. You should join us. There's no place for a foreigner-looking guy like you once the enemy's taken over. You're as good as dead."

"At the docks tonight?"

The man nodded.

Tsugaru bowed.

Izaya finally poked his head out from under the sheets, his red eyes gleaming from the sunlight.

"You're going?" Izaya asked after Tsugaru slid the paper door shut. "If its protection you want…" he trailed off.

"I owe my comrades so much. I cannot desert them now," Tsugaru answered as he crawled back into the futon. Just a few more minutes… hours… he told himself. He felt Izaya's heat against his back, and the slightest of tremors from the other's hands that caressed his skin gently.

"You're fighting for a lord who has abandoned you."

Tsugaru closed his eyes. "I fight for my friends."

He felt the other hesitate and rolled around, surrounding Izaya in an embrace. The demon relaxed under him, but the uneasiness that plagued them both did not disappear even as he captured the other's lips in his own.

.

The midday sun had already begun to fall as the two waited in the groove of cherry trees. Tsugaru only had several hours left before he had to make his decision, considering that it took another hour to walk to the meeting point. Izaya looked up from his lap, the rays of light that had escaped the branches reflecting off his red eyes.

"You should go," Izaya said.

"Why would you suggest that?" Tsugaru asked. He thought that the last thing his lover wanted was for him to leave.

"You'd never forgive yourself if you didn't," the demon answered simply.

Tsugaru smiled lightly. Having his doubts spoken so clearly to him only made him more uneasy. He decided to continue the trend anyway. "I'll be leaving you though then. You'll have to wait again."

Izaya sat up slowly, his back to the samurai. The silhouette of the demon's horns and pointed ears were even more pronounced against the sunny land that extended beyond the shade of the cherry trees. "I can't bear to wait for you again."

Tsugaru hugged his lover from behind, unable to take the other's slumped over profile any longer.

"Then come with me."

The demon chuckled. "Looking like this?"

"We'll figure something out."


	10. Chapter 10

"Wow! This looks potentially bad!" Shinra nearly sang as Izaya removed the handkerchief he had slipped back on earlier. The piece of cloth was beyond saving now, and the informant idly wondered whether or not he should buy Shiki a new vibrant one as a joke as Shinra examined his blood-caked hand. He didn't know why his friend even bothered; Shinra had known for years just how fast his cuts closed. "Did it go straight through? So much blood..." The childlike amazement the underground doctor had for his wounds never ceased to make Izaya sigh. "Ah, it healed already…" The disappointment that followed was never much of an improvement.

"Yeah, let me use your sink." Izaya finally drew his hand back. He withdrew from the living room before Shinra had a chance to answer.

"I'm assuming you want that bandaged!" Shinra called after him, and Izaya heard shuffling in other room as the doctor went to retrieve his medical kit.

Izaya turned on the faucet in the bathroom and watched as the water ran red against the white porcelain. "Tch..." He clenched his teeth as he remembered exactly how careless he had been. The slumbering flame had ignited briefly during those short seconds; he had held back the last moment, just before his hand connected with the thug's chest.

"It's been a while since you've gotten this injured by another person besides Shizuo," Shinra commented as he wrapped the bandages over Izaya's nonexistent wound a few minutes later.

"Even I mess up every now and then," Izaya tried to wave it off, but he knew the other already suspected something the moment he walked through that door with the bloodied handkerchief.

"Is everything okay?" Their eyes met and Izaya found himself staring into a pair of honest wide eyes, genuine concern reflecting off of them. He didn't know what to tell Shinra. It wasn't something a human who had only lived two decades could understand. Yet, the other hit it right on the nail. "It's Shizuo again, eh?"

Izaya smiled. "Now why would you say that?"

The other returned with a knowing grin. "It's always Shizuo. You know, you could learn a thing or two about love from Celty and me..."

"For your information, Shizu-chan hits a lot harder than Celty does."

"You can take it."

Shinra looked up when the other didn't answer immediately. "It still hurts," he heard Izaya mutter, eyes downcast at his now neatly bandaged hand.

Shinra had offered to tell Shizuo before, but Izaya had adamantly refused, reasoning that it would be the end of the doctor were he to suddenly utter such nonsense to the fortissimo of Ikebukuro out of the blue. Besides, Shinra himself didn't know all the small details; most of his information came from Mamoru during the few occasions he had run into the older demon, and there was a gaping hole after Izaya had left Edo for the north with the one they called Tsugaru. Yet, he was certain of one thing that had occurred during that time, and how it happened certainly had a great impact on Izaya to this day. The problem remained with finding out just how Tsugaru had died.

Shinra sighed, sipping his coffee in his now empty living room.

Over a century and still waiting... he himself would have searched the ends of the earth if it were Celty.

Izaya was always a little strange to begin with, and he had a feeling that it was just going to get worse. He only hoped that he didn't have to sew too many people back together.

.

Izaya walked down the empty alley, his conversation with Shinra still weighing heavily on his mind. "He" was here, in this world, in the same city as him even. He should be happy, he told himself. Izaya remembered the first day he met Tsugaru's reincarnation, the scene as clear in his mind as the summer sky unobstructed by buildings so many years ago.

He was so happy. Hadn't he smiled? He... Izaya put a hand to his mouth, wondering just what had set the other off. Had they changed so much?

A century ago they were so close, so at peace even with war waging around them, and now, his whole world revolved around making Shizuo miserable when the other could be living a peaceful life in this peaceful post-war world.

"What am I doing..." He knew the answer. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to stop. He'd rather be the person Shizuo chased down the moment their eyes meet than just another faceless individual on the streets spying on the fortissimo of Ikebukuro from the shadows. He'd rather that he ruin the other's life than let another devour Tsugaru. Even he couldn't take such a betrayal.

Shizuo hated him. It was a fact he will never be able to change.

Izaya paused around the corner of another empty alley to collect his thoughts when he suddenly heard it again: footsteps. He gritted his teeth, deciding that he might as well confront the culprit now. At least it'll help him forget, even for a moment, he told himself.

"I can hear you, you know," Izaya said out loud to the empty alley as his hand closed around the switchblade in his pocket. He heard shuffling and turned to face his stalker, who finally rounded the corner. His mouth drew into an amused smirk when he noted the confidence in the stranger's eyes. "This isn't the first time, is it? You're either actually very talented or very stupid."

The man smiled and drew closer, his hands hidden in his coat pocket. Izaya tried to detect the scent of gunpowder but found none. _'He's definitely hiding something in there…'_

"I've seen you often around Ikebukuro." Even the man's tone was smug. Izaya liked this. It would be so much more satisfying when he pulled the other off his high horse and dragged him around in the dirt.

The informant shrugged, his act flawless. "You see a lot of people in Ikebukuro."

"Ah, but not ones like you."

Izaya suppressed a disgusted sigh. He could almost feel the man's eyes all over him. "I'm a busy man, but I will kindly give you one chance to answer so choose your words wisely. What do you want?"

"Straight to the point, eh?" The man chuckled. "Fine, then I'll be blunt too." He held out a hand.

"You need information?" Izaya tried to play around it. He changed his mind about the man's confidence. It was abhorrent, and now was not the best of times to annoy him as a human.

"Don't play dumb. You're a smart man. You know what I want."

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand," Izaya lied. He heard a crack in his pocket and relaxed his grip.

The man grinned. "Come with me. I'll help you forget about your 'Tsugaru.'"

Izaya froze and just barely managed to keep himself from asking where the man had gotten that information. He managed to compose himself and prepared to pick the details out of the worm when the man finally took his hands out of his pockets and produced a photo.

The blood red eyes that stared back at him were unmistakably his.

Izaya wrenched the photo out of the man's hands, and in an instant, it laid in shreds on the floor. "How dare you," he hissed.

"I have backups," the man replied smugly. "And if you're not coming with me, I'll send them to all your clients, including that yakuza guy in the white suit. I'm sure they'll take the news well." He laughed when Izaya flinched. "To think that a demon could be so easily controlled by someone as little as me… You know that photo your dear 'monster' had was mine too, don't you?"

Izaya whipped out the switchblade from his pocket, and instead a shower of plastic and metal fell to the ground, bouncing off the concrete in a pile of dust. He had clenched way too hard earlier. _'Shit...'_ Izaya grimaced and dug for his spare when the man took a step back.

"I-I'll expose you!" he threatened, sweat rolling off the side of his gruff face as he produced a gun. "They'll hunt you down, monster. You'll only have me. Yes, just..."

Izaya realized that the other knew how the switchblade had disintegrated. He took his hand out of his pocket, staring down the man and his gun. He hated guns. "You know, you should always gather the appropriate amount of information before acting," he said softly as he took a step forward.

"Tch…" the man's finger tightened on the trigger, but Izaya grabbed the other's wrist before he could fire.

"So, why don't you say that again? What were you going to do to me?" he asked slowly, eyes flashing.

"I-I'll…" the man stuttered, but he didn't relent, and the grip tightened. The man screamed and clawed at Izaya to make him let go. "I'll expose you to the world!"

Izaya smiled. "We can't have that now, can we?" _He felt it again._

_The anger... the flame that had burned all these years... kept silent only by sheer willpower and a last promise..._

"Izaya!" a familiar voice yelled just as a crack resounded through the alley. The man fell to his knees, sniveling as he clenched his broken arm, a trail of blood running down where the bone was protruding out.

Izaya came back to his senses and took a step back, looking at his own bloodied hand.

"Oh geez," Akabayashi said when he saw the damage.

"Izaya?" Izaya froze, dreading the person that rounded the corner after Akabayashi.

Akabayashi looked from one to another. "Ah, Shiki texted me saying that you injured your hand, and I happened to be talking to him at the time so…" He chuckled and grabbed the man on the ground, hoisting him up roughly after also grabbing the discarded gun. "Ah, this is one of our guns that went missing..."

"He knows..." Izaya muttered under his breath. Akabayashi's eyes narrowed when he noticed the shredded photo on the ground.

"I'll take care of this thing." The man whimpered when Akabayashi gave him a rough pull, the grin back on his face. "You two play nice, got it?"

Akabayashi's absence turned the atmosphere cold, and Shizuo struggled to find the right words to say to the flea while Izaya stared after the empty street corner, seemingly lost for words. He was here to talk, Shizuo told himself, not to fight. Yet, looking at what Izaya had done to the stalker told him volumes. Maybe Akabayashi was right. Maybe he had been treating everything the wrong way. Izaya could have easily dealt with him years ago with that strength.

He tried to reason with himself. He can make amends. He's capable of doing that. Even if the flea had given him hell all these years… _'Okay, just have to take that first step…'_ Whether he was lying to himself at the moment, he told himself just to be calm enough to get some answers. Maybe there was more to Izaya than what he had been seeing.

"Fl... Izaya…" he began hesitantly, reaching out to Izaya's furry hood.

"Get away from me!" Izaya suddenly snapped, swinging his second switchblade in an arc that just missed his bowtie.

"Why you little…" Shizuo snarled, his resolve crumbling to dust. "I just wanted to talk, flea!"

"There's nothing to say. You've already seen everything," Izaya growled. "There's no need for you to talk to a 'monster,'" the last word came out as an audible choke, and he held a hand up to his mouth. "Tch..." He turned around and fled.

"Wait, Izaya!" he yelled, pursuing, but the flea had disappeared.

He had never seen Izaya move so fast.

And, those blood red eyes that didn't want to look, yet held so much longing in their depths… he had seen them for sure this time.

.

Enomoto's fleet escapes to the North, 1868. May.

The two reached the top of the last hill and came upon the ships in the harbor, ready to disembark. Izaya pulled his sedge hat further down over his eyes and took a deep breath. He was going to go farther than any of his own clan had ever gone, away from the protective clutches of his mother's domain. He wondered if another clan resided that far north. He hadn't bothered to pay Edo's demons a visit, knowing that Mamoru had already taken care of it for him.

The sound of footsteps stopped him. He knew who had come.

"Izaya-sama!"

He turned. "Mamoru…"

His long time friend frowned. "You can't go with him. You know your mother only allowed you to come to Edo because the eastern clan is here, but there's none of our kind up north."

"I…" Izaya hesitated. He had gone against his mother's wishes in the past, but never to this extent. He admitted to himself that he did have his doubts about the north. His knowledge of the human world, although growing, was still small, and if anyone were to suspect him, Tsugaru would be put in danger too.

He looked up when the one beside him moved. Tsugaru had positioned himself between the two of them, a human between two demons of the West.

"I'll protect him."

Mamoru's eyes narrowed. "Do you understand what will be asked of you, if your comrades were to find out about Izaya-sama's state? Could you betray them to protect him?"

Tsugaru seemed resolute. "I'll protect both of them."

Mamoru looked sad. "It won't be as easy as you make it out to be when the time comes."

Izaya held onto Tsugaru's sleeve, his eyes defiant. The older demon sighed. He recognized that look. It was the same the late king had given him right before the humans took him away from their world. If the same thing were to happen to Izaya… His gaze shifted to the samurai who had stolen the demon prince away from them. _'No… it's different…'_

He backed down. "I'll be awaiting your return in Edo after the strife is over." He bowed. "Please return safely..."

.

Izaya looked out to the ocean once again in just a year. He had traveled more in the past two months than he had his entire life. A warm hand on his shoulder prompted him to lean back onto the boat.

"Are you enjoying the breeze?" Tsugaru asked him.

Izaya closed his eyes, keeping a hold on his hat lest the wind snatched it away. "This is the second time I've been on a ship." His hands were covered by the long sleeves of his red kimono, his face by the sedge hat, the few things that separated him from the world. "Your comrades didn't question…"

"Nobuo must have told them in advance."

"Nobuo?"

"The one who told me about the ships this morning."

"Oh… where is he now?"

Tsugaru looked away. "He stayed in Edo."

"Eh? Didn't he say he was leaving with..."

"Some of his friends refused to leave, and he didn't want to desert them."

Izaya closed his mouth, not knowing what to say. His clan had never encountered anything of the sort; they had already fought out their lands long before and had been lingering in a suffocating peace as far back as Izaya could remember. Also, although demons were loyal to each other, they didn't have many chances to show it.

The two remained silent as the boats continued their slow journey up, and Izaya preoccupied himself with watching the waves when he suddenly felt that someone was watching him. He knew the ship's inhabitants were no doubt curious about the "friend" Tsugaru had brought on board, but this was different. It nearly sent a chill down his spine.

He proceeded to glance behind him when a voice made him jump.

"Tsugaru! I'm glad you decided to come!"

Tsugaru turned around and smiled when he saw the voice's owner. "Oh, Yoichi."

The man named Yoichi smiled, and his eyes traveled to Izaya. Izaya wasn't quite good at reading humans, but he had the faintest feeling that those eyes were not smiling as much as the man's mouth was. "So this is your lover?" Yoichi asked, the grin unwavering.

Tsugaru blushed, and Izaya followed suit despite himself. He had never seen the other so flustered before.

Yoichi laughed. "Hey, I'm fine with it. Nobuo told me you had a lover in Edo. He's a little dense though, so he's probably never realized just who you were." He looked to the ocean, his gaze distant. "Well, enjoy yourselves while you can," he said as he turned to walk away. "Never know when battle's going to erupt these days, eh?"

Izaya stared after Yoichi's retreating back, unable to hold down the frown that had finally crept up on his face. "He's perceptive," he commented.

"We've known each other for a while now. I met him in Edo."

"I see..."

"He's a nice guy," Tsugaru said, weaving his hand into Izaya's as he returned his gaze to the ocean. Izaya squeezed the other's hand gently, shifting so that their kimono sleeves could hide it more readily.

He tried to preoccupy himself with the ocean once more, but he could not let go of the uneasy feeling those pair of eyes gave him.

 _'Mamoru...'_ He hoped his friend was wrong.


	11. Chapter 11

Mamoru made his way down the streets of Ikebukuro reluctantly, taking care to avoid the alleys lest he ran into anyone too familiar. He hadn't intended to get off at the station earlier, but his legs unconsciously took him off the train and through the ticket gates, so he decided to at least go see his son one last time before talking to Izaya. He looked forward to neither discussion.

He couldn't believe that his queen would make the decision so early; things had been going perfectly well the past few decades between the Western and Eastern clans, even after the matriarch of the strongest clan in the East, the Orihara family, decided to wed a human. Izaya's mother had gone so far even as to allow her only son at that time to stay with the half demon daughter of the matriarch so that Izaya could learn how to better blend in with the growing number of humans in Edo. He supposed she had no choice; Izaya had adamantly refused to return any further West after the "incident" a century ago. Her words didn't affect him then and certainly wouldn't change his mind now, so why would she even attempt such a plan? Not to mention, if Izaya were to return, there would certainly be succession issues with the current heir.

Izaya's stepfather was a mild mannered kind of guy, but anyone could be swayed by power. Mamoru sighed and attempted to mentally shake off all the negative thoughts that had started flooding his mind the moment he stepped into Ikebukuro. He supposed he had watched a little too many of the dramas his son had sent him.

"Mamoru-san!" a pair of voices called out to him in unison, and he nearly cursed out loud at himself for being so careless. Of Ikebukuro's inhabitants, the Orihara twins were two of the ones he least wanted to run into.

"Kururi-sama, Mairu-sama," he bowed, unwilling to meet their eyes when he straightened up again.

"Is it true?" Kururi asked quietly; Mamoru could see her twiddling her thumbs as she waited for his answer.

"Is what true?" he decided to feign ignorance. The two most likely overheard their elders talking since Kyouko was resolute in keeping the two in the dark about their family's heritage. That meant that they only knew part of what was going on, and he figured it was best if they knew nothing more.

"We overheard Grandma and Mom arguing the other day."

"Oh?" It didn't particularly surprise him that the matriarch of the Orihara clan would be arguing with her half-blooded daughter, who had tried to "fit in" with the humans all her life. Kyouko was adamant about assimilating with what she called the "normal world," while her mother, a pure-blooded demon, still had strong ties with the old traditions despite surprising their world and marrying a human, now long deceased. It was all Kyouko could do to hide everything from her own husband, a regular salaryman working in a well-established company in Tokyo.

"Yes yes! Mom said she wants Iza-nii to go back! He can't go back yet! We need him as an offering to Shizuo to let us meet Kasuka!" Mairu exclaimed, the sparks flying in her eyes when she uttered the actor's name.

Mamoru chuckled. "What a reason."

"So you can't let him go back!"

"Don't take Iza-nii away," Kururi added.

Mamoru scratched his head, frowning. "That would be his choice."

"Then convince him not to leave!" Mairu concluded.

"Or don't even tell him," her sister continued.

Mamoru hesitated. There was no way he could promise the two that he wouldn't tell Izaya, but what kind of argument could he come up with to convince them otherwise? He took a deep breath. "Izaya-sama is..."

"We know he's not really our brother!" the two said in unison.

Mamoru was dumbstruck; he hadn't expected the Orihara matriarch to be that careless. He lowered his voice, glancing behind him for any eavesdroppers before continuing. "How much do you know?"

"Iza-nii's the prince of some secret clan in the West, and he stayed with us so that he could get along better with the commoners," Mairu told him.

Mamoru supposed that this wasn't too bad. "Oh well then..."

"And he's a demon like Grandma," Kururi landed the final blow.

The older demon stared down at the two, appalled by just how much they knew. What have they done with such information? He had heard many stories of the Orihara twins, and he wouldn't put it past them to leak such information if it meant that they would get what they wanted. He first had to make sure of something.

"Does your father know?"

"Oh don't worry. He still doesn't know anything about anything," Mairu said. "Good thing he works so much."

"Like Iza-nii," Kururi mumbled.

The gesture caught Mamoru a little off guard, and he finally smiled, understanding the two's genuine intentions. "So you do care about him."

"Is that a yes?" Mairu asked, her eyes glistening with excitement.

Mamoru shook his head. "Like I said, it's up to Izaya-sama."

"Aw, you tricked us!" Kururi pouted.

"We'll just have to kidnap him and hide him somewhere!" her sister declared.

.

Izaya clicked the send button and proceeded on to his next job, nearly missing Namie announcing her departure.

"Sheesh, you better remember to eat," she hissed when she saw the untouched plate on his desk.

"Yeah yeah," Izaya waved her off, and the door closed promptly after. He reread his current reply one more time before hovering over the send button. If he clicks, the man would be at the bottom of Tokyo Bay before the day was over.

His hand tightened on the mouse, the same hand that had snapped that man's arm just the day prior. Normally, he'd ask Shiki to lighten up on the punishments with the reason that he could potentially use such people later, but at the moment the narrow bridge between the choices of life and death for the unfortunate man who crossed his path was finally starting to crumble.

"Tsugaru..." he muttered, remembering for a moment. His heart clenched, and he hesitated.

The look Shizu-chan had given him after he snapped the man's hand... those wide eyes, an expression he had never seen before flashing across the other's face...

Shizu-chan must have realized now that the one who had been calling him monster all these years was a monster himself. He knew he had taken the wrong path years ago during that first day of Raira when Shizuo sprang at him and he reacted. Now, even the miniscule chances of him seeing Tsugaru again have disappeared.

A new email notification lit up on screen. Izaya clicked "send" before moving on.

He didn't care anymore. Even human observation proved useless this time around, and it was all he could do to keep on working so that his mind would wander somewhere else besides sinking in the past. His cell phone rang just as he finished reading the email from Shiki, and he picked it up in a fit of annoyance. Shiki's email had not particularly helped him keep his thoughts off of Tsugaru, and now the one who had led Shizuo to that alley just the other day was here to add to his stress.

"What?"

"Ah... I'm sure you've heard the news already..." Akabayashi's voice answered him reluctantly on the other end.

"Then why are you interrupting just as I was about to gather information on Akane's supposed assassins?"

"Eh? Shiki sent you that job? Sheesh, I told him not to..."

This confused Izaya. Just why had Akabayashi called then?

"Ah, have you seen my father yet?"

This was news to him. "He's back in Edo already?"

"Well... yeah..." Akabayashi sounded uncharacteristically unenthusiastic. He was always thrilled whenever Mamoru visited, as much as he tried to hide it. Izaya couldn't blame him though. It was amazing that he had received so much care from Mamoru since Izaya's clan shunned any mingling with humans, and Akabayashi's human blood stood out as a blatant example of that.

"What's wrong?"

"Ah... I guess I'll let him tell you... Do me a favor and try to hold off seeing him for a few more days, okay? The train tickets are all sold out this week."

"Okay?" Izaya agreed, still confused.

"Thanks."

Izaya stared at his phone for a moment, even more intrigued now to talk with Mamoru. Yet, Akabayashi's tone kept him on edge. As much as he wanted to take his mind off of Tsugaru by meeting his long time friend, something just seemed off about all this.

He sighed and decided to return to Shiki's request. It wasn't that he was particularly worried about the girl, but if completing this job meant that a few more humans would meet their end, then it was all well to him.

_'They should pay for what they did to Tsugaru...'_

Izaya closed his eyes. He was there again... the warmth was red, sticky... His hands were coated in it...

Blood... it was all he could see before he lunged...

He stopped, burying his face in his hands. "What am I doing?"

No matter how many of them he killed, Tsugaru was never coming back.

.

At Sendai, 1868. Late August.

Izaya breathed in the warm late summer air as he settled down next to one of the larger cherry trees in the dense forest, finally completely shielded from the eyes of the inhabitants of Sendai. Tsugaru had once again splurged, with the help of some of his comrades, on a small room for the two of them in the city since lodging at the castle was out of the question; there were just too many people running about. The last thing either of them wanted was someone to accidentally knock off Izaya's sedge hat.

Izaya had laid the hat in question on the grass next to him, and he enjoyed the wind on his forehead from the liberation as he yawned, listening to the quiet rustling of the leaves with the coming of a light summer breeze. To be truthful, he missed this kind of tranquility. It wasn't to say that he disliked his current lodgings; he didn't mind the city at all, since there were more than enough interesting humans going on about their usual, albeit fascinating, business. However, even he felt compelled to escape to this nearby forest on a sunny day like this after being stuck in the confines of a human ship for the past few months.

Besides, Tsugaru currently had patrol duty, and as much as he wanted to join in, there was no way the two of them could explain to the others how bringing a "companion" was going to not hinder their fighting should anything happen. Tsugaru had one of his rarer wide grins on his face when Izaya brought up the topic.

"I think we'd end up being the ones hindering you if there was a fight," the samurai had said.

Izaya smiled. It had been a year since that meeting under the cherry tree in Kyoto, one year since he had to raise his hand against a human. It was definitely pleasant that he didn't have to kill them on sight now. He gazed up into the vast network of branches, the sky just barely peeking through the leaves. This tree was a little smaller than the one in Kyoto, he noted.

His sensitive ears suddenly picked up rustling in the bushes, and he slipped the sedge hat back on quickly as he evaluated his choices. He decided last minute that running posed a better choice; what if it was one of Tsugaru's comrades? Before he could slip away, Yoichi emerged from the bushes, the usual grin cemented on his young features.

"Ah, what a coincidence," the newcomer said, giving his surroundings a glance. "You like walks in the forest too?"

Izaya relaxed just enough to keep his legs from violently propelling him off the ground. "It's refreshing," he replied as he managed to stand up naturally and brushed off a few leaves with his sleeves.

"It's quite sunny today though, are you sure you're okay in this kind of heat?" Yoichi asked, leaning in a little in what seemed like an attempt to look under Izaya's hat. Izaya instinctively withdrew and lowered his head slightly, causing the other to grin. "Tsugaru said you don't like the sun much, so you always wear that hat." He pointed to his own head, the beads of sweat glistening slightly as they dripped down the side of his temple.

"Ah, once in a while is fine," Izaya replied, feeling sweat start to form on his own skin from nervousness. Had he seen?

"Yes yes, the outdoors is something to be enjoyed," Yoichi nodded in agreement as he straightened up and stretched. "Well then, I suppose I'll accompany you back to the city then. Tsugaru will be returning soon, yes?"

"Yes. Thank you very much," Izaya replied, remembering to bow slightly. He didn't care how the humans viewed him really, and he found a tiny bit of bowing eased their minds. He supposed humans enjoyed feeling that they had power over the fellow man, and if it was going to keep Tsugaru from getting in trouble, small gestures like this meant nothing to him. However, with Yoichi, he really didn't know what to do. This man was different, dangerous...

Izaya trailed behind Yoichi awkwardly, glancing to his sides for any signs of other humans. He had only seen the other twice after the boat ride, and Tsugaru was with him both times. Izaya moved his hat a little lower over his eyes. He also wasn't sure if the other had seen anything. He feared Yoichi suspected something, but for some reason the other still hadn't acted yet.

Izaya had only managed to write to Mamoru once during a chance encounter he had with another demon of the Eastern clan, one from the Orihara Family to note, who had by chance traveled up to Sendai for a quick assessment of the war. But, that was only a one way message, and he wondered if the other was even allowed to send a reply. They were quite far North now; it was the devil's luck that he had even met the messenger.

"It must be tough, being so far away from your family," Yoichi's voice broke through his reverie. "They must be so worried about you."

"Ah, they are actually," Izaya replied, thinking of his mother. She must be furious with her son's antics this past year. Then again, it had been a long time since she was okay with anything he did.

"You do send them letters, don't you?"

"Ah..." Izaya hesitated. "Yes..."

Yoichi chuckled, his expression indiscernible. "That's good."

The two of them continued in silence back to the city, and Yoichi blended right back into its bustling depths after bidding Izaya a quick goodbye.


	12. Chapter 12

Izaya found himself outside on the streets of Ikebukuro, furry hood pulled over his head and hands stuffed into his pockets. Shiki had been so preoccupied with the new information he had sent them that the executive didn't bother forwarding him any new requests, and Izaya finally opted to search for something else to keep this thoughts away from the past. However, his aimless walking took him all the way to the one place he knew he should avoid, like a moth to a flame.

He turned the corner, wondering if he should pay Shinra a visit. _'But what if Shizu-chan is there?'_ He doubted it, knowing Shizuo's work schedule by heart, but there was always the rare chance that one of Tom's clients decided to pull out a knife. Strong as he was, Shizuo's dulled pain receptors did him no favors when it came to avoidable injuries.

Izaya remembered the first time he had drawn a weapon against Shizuo, back at Raira. It had been a reflex, and he recalled the distinct feeling of fear through his initial anger after the blade had run through Shizuo's shirt. He should've known then just how resilient the Fortissimo of Ikebukuro was. Shizuo was never as human as Tsugaru was.

He sighed, shaking the memories away. The more he thought about it, the more obvious it seemed. The two had nothing in common except for their appearances. For all he knew, maybe Shizu-chan had someone else's soul inside of him. Izaya frowned.

If that was the case, then Tsugaru was truly gone. Shizu-chan was just another human.

The thought made him stop in his tracks. The overwhelming sensation of loss that had been washing over him all these years came again like a massive wave, knocking him deep into the abyss of this empty world. He felt his control waver and could only pull his hands into his sleeves to hide the flickering change.

"Izaya!" Shizuo's roar brought him back from his sorrow's prison. He sensed something different about the other's tone, but he cared too little now to dig.

He didn't bother to run. He was tired, far too tired. Shizuo seemed to sense this, and his expression softened as he reached Izaya; after a moment the two were standing face to face, the air around them completely tranquil for the first time in a century.

"Listen, let's talk." Izaya looked into the other's eyes: warm brown orbs that burned with a fiery passion. He reached up on instinct, as if he were amazed to get so close to those eyes without suffering an attempted murder. Shizuo frowned at the gesture, completely unaware of all the thoughts that ran through Izaya's head. The waves were long gone. They were never even here to begin with. The demon stopped and withdrew his hand just before his flickering clawed fingertips grazed the other's cheek. He understood now.

"Sorry..." the words left his lips with a definite conclusive air.

"What?" The air shivered, and Izaya knew for sure now that his initial assessment was wrong. Shizuo was Shizuo, a raging force of power in the human world. That calming warmth that he had longed to touch for all these years would never come back to him.

"I'm sorry..." Izaya looked away from those eyes. This was it. "It was foolish of me to expect..."

"Wait, we haven't even said anything yet!" Shizuo exclaimed.

"I was wrong..."

"Izaya!" The Fortissimo of Ikebukuro's frustration shone through his voice in a tone unlike any Tsugaru would have ever given him.

Izaya felt his own heartbeat quickening. "Tsugaru… Tsugaru is gone!"

"He's... I'm right here right?" Shizuo replied, desperately trying to find some common ground between them. Izaya could see the other's irritation starting to go up even more. Soon they'll be chasing each other, just like before. "Didn't you say so yourself? Stop making things worse, you damned flea!"

"He's gone," Izaya could feel the finality of those words going straight to his stomach. He felt sick with heartache, and it was all he could do to keep the tears in this time around.

"Izaya, you asshole, stop playing games with..." Shizuo didn't catch the change that went through Izaya.

"I'm not!" Izaya yelled so suddenly that Shizuo stopped, gawking. The demon prince held his chest and tried to calm himself down, but the realization just wouldn't stop overflowing over him.

Tsugaru was gone, and Shizuo, reincarnation or not, was never going to be him. The false hope Izaya had held onto all these years finally shattered, and all he could see was a pathless road with no destination in sight.

"Izaya!" Tsugaru was gone. He had been dead for over a century now, and he was never coming back.

"I… hate you…" Izaya felt his voice come out as a broken sob, but he couldn't stop. "Humans…" He remembered that day, so many years ago. "I hate you all…"

"Hey, Izaya…" Even the brute seemed to have caught on to his strange behavior. "What are you saying? You love humans, right?" He actually sounded worried, Izaya noted, but even concern from someone who had hated him all his life did nothing to stop the onslaught of despair he felt now. The flood gates had opened, and he had lost the ability to close them any longer. It had been too long.

"I…" he crumpled to his knees, wishing for the earth to swallow him up so that he wouldn't feel anymore. "I've had enough of living under this fucking lie. Humans…" He suddenly realized the hands before him on the ground had become claw-like, and he could see the silhouette of horns on his shadow. He shuddered. "I hate you all. Tsugaru… I…" Before he could control himself, the tears fell and his voice choked. He couldn't say it. "Tsugaru…" he nearly pleaded. Where was his Tsugaru? What was he doing, waiting so long like this?

Shizuo considered the informant for a moment, completely unsure of what to do. He had never seen Izaya like this, and any other day he would've picked up a vending machine without a second thought.

"Shizuo!" someone yelled his name just as he decided to reach a hand out to the flea. They both looked up to see a familiar face coming towards them from the street.

"Akane!" Shizuo called out beside him. It was then Izaya finally felt his vibrating phone. He picked it up on instinct, not caring to utter a greeting as he held it to his ear.

"Izaya! They got away in this truck- Akane's outside today, do you know where she is?"

"She's here," he breathed.

"She's what? Well hurry and tell her to go back..."

He heard them coming; he was in his demon form so he knew. The revving of the engine, the low voiced cheer at finally finding their target, a soft click of the trigger as a finger slid into place... he heard them all. The truck sped up, and Akane turned just in time to see the vehicle racing towards her. He looked up and saw Shizuo yelling and running towards the intersection. Even with that monstrous strength, there was no way the other could make it there in time, and the stupid girl just wouldn't move.

After she died, Shizuo would no doubt hate himself for failing to protect the girl, probably for the rest of his life. It was the ultimate revenge, this feeling Izaya had held on to so tightly these past 100 years. It was...

An image of Tsugaru flashed before him, the latter's soft lips covered in red.

Izaya moved.

.

At Hakodate, 1868. Late December.

Even Izaya could tell the end was coming soon. The army had trekked across almost all of Japan, and the constant reinforcing of the harbor only gave him more evidence that they were preparing for the last fight. Tsugaru hadn't been talking as much as he used to, also sensing the inevitable doom they all faced on this frozen land, their only escape blocked by the endless sea.

This particular day Izaya found himself hiking a few miles from the city, once again alone due to Tsugaru's busy schedule. The occasional ventures calmed him and took his mind off the heavy blanket of death that surrounded them all. He thought of his family back in the West, most likely worried sick about their son's whereabouts. Izaya lightly chuckled to himself. The idea that a demon had followed a mere human so far across Japan into the jaws of death must have baffled any demon that heard the story.

He had written to Mamoru when he found the opportunity, and by luck, a reply came back to him, urging him to return home. The way he saw it now, escaping their current situation was bleak, especially with all the upgraded security in the harbor. He could only hope to ride out the last battle safely from the sidelines.

Of course, if anyone were to lay a finger on Tsugaru he'd be the first to slit their throats. Izaya frowned. He couldn't possibly keep his lover away from the battle; they needed every man they could get. Did that mean he would have to fight an army on his own? He's never had to deal with cannons before.

"Venturing out alone again?" a familiar voice prompted him to turn around. He had been so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he didn't even hear Yoichi approach. Izaya smiled and stood his ground, instantly throwing up all of his mental defenses.

"The quiet out here is calming."

"Of course," the samurai replied, looking back behind him to the harbor. "There's too much to think about these days." He gave Izaya an indiscernible smile. "May I join you?"

"I do not see why not," Izaya replied despite alarms going off in his head. The city disappeared behind them as they walked deeper into the untamed countryside, the sound of snow crunching under their feet the only familiar sensation. They finally stopped before a frozen river, a massive winter-stripped tree looming over them, reminiscent of the vibrant lush landscape of last spring.

Yoichi stopped here, arms hidden inside the sleeves of his kimono for warmth. Izaya could almost hear the other's heart beating around them in the quiet landscape. They stood in silence for a while, the shuffling of snow from Yoichi's occasional shiver their only other companion. The samurai finally sighed deeply and clapped his hands together resolutely.

"I tried really hard, you know, to hate you."

"Huh?" Izaya had suspected as much for a while, but hearing the other outright admit surprised him. He had never known humans could be so blunt.

Yoichi laughed heartily at the other's flabbergasted expression, clutching his stomach for support. Izaya chose to wait until the other had finished, even more unsure of why Yoichi chose now of all times to tell him this. The samurai finally stopped, wiping his eyes with a sleeve. "I apologize. It has been too long." He took a moment to collect himself before continuing. "All these years I kept telling myself that it was his fault, your people's fault, that my father died."

Izaya stared at him quietly, his features calm but his muscles ready to spring at any moment. He cursed himself for not being more careful from the beginning, for ignoring all the little strange signals the other had been sending him. Yet, the look Yoichi had on his face, the frustration and anger at his father's death, was not directed at Izaya. His gaze pierced somewhere in the distance, far away from the demon. Izaya thought carefully about what Yoichi said. He couldn't understand how any of them could have killed a human unprovoked, unless it was one of those men that had been chasing Tsugaru way back on the day they first met. He wasn't very good at reading ages, but he was certain at least that none of them were old enough to be Yoichi's father. So that would mean... Izaya finally realized what Yoichi was talking about. There was only one instance in recent history that a demon besides himself caused a stir in the human world.

"You knew my father."

Yoichi finally looked at him, and Izaya saw tired eyes. "Almost," he replied. "My father knew your father. They were best friends."

Izaya took in a deep breath. He had only heard the stories from Mamoru, and even then the subject was kept hushed up by his mother.

"They were both killed on the same day because someone found out about my father," Izaya said, trying to remember if Mamoru had told him anything else that was less superficial.

Yoichi laughed at the demon's hesitation. "No need to think so hard. That really is what happened." He kicked a rock peeping out from under the snow, sending it rolling down the slight incline towards the river. "I blamed you, you know, for as long as I could remember. Why did your father have to play around in our world? Why couldn't his kind just keep blending into the background like they've been doing?"

Izaya bit his lip at that statement. They had been doing just that for as long as their history had been recorded. He didn't see why they had to face such challenges. Demons exist in this world just as humans do. Why did they have to be the ones to hide? He clenched his fists. He seriously hoped Yoichi wasn't about to try anything stupid now.

However, the samurai did not seem to notice Izaya's anger.

"I thought about it very hard these past few months. You should know, I even considered setting the town against you, that one time we were in the forest." The man's eyes were downcast, like a guilty child. "But, at the last moment, I could not bring myself to do it."

Izaya let out his breath, confused. "Why?" he finally managed.

Yoichi snorted. "No honest man like Tsugaru would ever fall in love with a demon unless there was truly something good about you." He shook his head. "No, he's only part of the reason. I mean, he is a good friend, but..." he trailed off, trying to find the right words.

"It was not my father's fault. They were good friends," Izaya told him as his eyes trailed to the sheathed sword at Yoichi's side. "It was neither of them that drew the blade."

Yoichi shook his head. "You're right. It was humans." His fists clenched at his sides. "It was their fault." Izaya could feel the anger almost radiating from the other, like an angry aura. "They are the reason for this war too! Selfishness and ignorance runs through their veins. They act without thinking, relying only on their own misconceptions. They create their own worlds, their own stories, just to benefit themselves." He motioned to the sea in the distance. "You know they are coming, don't you? We are all going to be slaughtered here when the ships arrive. Me, Tsugaru, all of our comrades..." He took a deep breath before spitting out his next words. "I hate humans."

Izaya blinked at this. He could not comprehend what Yoichi had just said. How could a human hate humans? Demons were completely fine with each other's existences. Sure, once in a while one of them defected and did something stupid, but that was no reason to pull the rest of the clan into the conflict. Izaya did not blame the entire human race for his father's death. He did not know who actually killed the two, so he could never find a place to direct his anger towards. It left him with a void that he had locked away, never to be opened. He searched for an explanation to Yoichi's hatred of his own race but found none.

He heard a rustle in the bushes followed by quickened footsteps. Yoichi paid it no mind, his hearing not as good as the demons, and Izaya debated whether or not he should go after the culprit.

"Let's head back," the samurai told him before he could react. "Tsugaru would miss you."


	13. Chapter 13

The oncoming truck seemed to move in slow motion towards Akane as Shizuo urged his feet to carry him faster to her side. His shoes finally touched the sidewalk just as the vehicle sped past him, screeching to a stop as the fortissimo of Ikebukuro stared wide-eyed at the spot where the girl had stood.

"Akane!" He looked around wildly for her battered body and found the girl on the other side of the road, shaken but otherwise okay as Izaya placed her back down on the pavement. _'What the...'_ He swore the other had been next to him just a moment ago watching the same scene. He never pictured the flea to be the type who saved people like that, nor did he know Izaya could move that fast.

"How the fuck did you miss her?" someone yelled before he could assess the rest of the situation. The sliding door of the vehicle swung open, and Shizuo saw the glint of metal a second too late before the deafening roar followed. He ran towards the truck as another bang mercilessly replicated the first, and then another, and another, like an endless barrage.

"You!" Shizuo grabbed the bumper before the driver could press on the gas, and with a deafening yell, he threw the entire car across the road. It landed on its side, screeching as it slid over the sidewalk before it finally came to a halt against one of the buildings. Not bothering to make sure if he had accidentally killed anyone, he ran over to Akane and Izaya, hoping the damage wasn't too bad. Izaya was a "demon" right? He could feel the color drain from his face even with that thought. That man had fired four... no, five times.

"Akane!" he gasped when he reached them, and the girl nodded at him shakily, not knowing what to do with the pile of fur slumped over her small frame. _'Okay at least she's still breathing,'_ he thought in relief, but the realization of what lay over her hit him.

"Oi, Izaya!" he growled as he pulled the informant off Akane.

"H-he shielded me," the girl stuttered. Shizuo glanced her over, not noticing any bullet wounds among the splashes of blood that covered her uniform. "I-I'm okay. Please..." She looked at Izaya, eyes wide with worry.

"Yo, wake up!" Shizuo tried again, giving the still mass a shake, and the wounds finally came into view. "Shit..." The growing pools of blood had nearly blended into the black jacket, sprawled across the flea's back. _'Damn why does he always have to wear black?'_ He drew one hand away, now drenched with the red liquid. _'Demons heal pretty fast, right?'_ He considered giving the flea another shake but decided against it. Izaya was still bleeding. "Izaya!" he called out, not bothering to hide the desperation in his voice. This wasn't like him, Shizuo thought. Any other day, he would've been happy that the flea was dead.

_Tear-stained blood red eyes stared back at him._

_"Please don't die." Izaya sobbed. "Please... Tsugaru..."_

_He smiled softly, the wind picking up around them as a swarm of petals covered the air like a light spring rain of soft pink. His heart almost gave way under the swarm of emotions that clutched it. He would leave Izaya behind, alone in this world of humankind, surrounded by a constant reminder of that day. He couldn't have that. He needed to make sure the demon never succumbed to such thoughts of hatred and vengeance. He already knew how that felt too well, so many years ago in Kyoto when he saw his family fall before him._

_"Promise me..." he whispered. He had to make sure. He knew it was a selfish wish, but he refused to let his love become a monster._

The informant finally coughed; his first sign of life sprayed blood on the pavement. "Hey! Stay awake!" Shizuo yelled, whipping out his cell phone with his free hand as he supported Izaya back to the ground with the other. He knew the flea wouldn't die. He just had to get the bastard to Shinra, and everything would be right again. That's right, everything...

"Die, monster!" They looked up to see one of the men pointing a gun at them, having somehow dug his way out of the steaming metal wreck across the street.

"Stay back," Shizuo told Akane as he moved in front of her after gently laying Izaya on the pavement. He wasn't going to let any more people get hurt here.

"No! Shizuo!" Akane screamed when the man's finger moved on the trigger. She felt a wind move past them, and the man fell backwards as Izaya slammed his head into the pavement with a sickening crack. The gun moved up and fired blindly right into the demon's side before it finally fell uselessly to the floor, crushed between a broken wrist and claws.

"Ah, really... " Izaya gasped, "hate guns." He threw himself away from the man, trying to regain his footing. The demon prince stumbled a few steps in an attempt to escape the scene and fell into a heap, blood pooling around him.

"Izaya!" he could hear the fortissimo of Ikebukuro call his name.

 _'Shit...'_ He thought, finding his body unresponsive and his vision fading once again. He saw fiery brown eyes, a raging sea of emotions churning within them. _'Why now...'_ Everything faded to black.

.

At Hakodate, 1869. Mid-February.

"It's getting more difficult to leave the city," Yoichi gasped as Izaya waited for him to catch his breath. The two of them had made a dash for it when the guard finally turned away to deal with some bickering soldiers, but Izaya had taken off much faster than Yoichi deemed possible, and he found himself struggling to keep up with what looked like a casual jog for the demon. "Just how fast can you move?"

"What to do you mean?" Izaya asked, completely unaware of the physical effort the other had to undertake.

"Nevermind," Yoichi muttered, opting to lean against one of the large trees for support.

"Shouldn't your friends let you out without any questioning?" Izaya asked, assuming that Yoichi was still feeling the adrenaline rush from escaping the guards earlier. "Just tell them you're going for a walk."

The other man smiled as he rested his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling his heart finally calming before he answered. "Actually, I'm not on particularly good terms with anyone."

"Eh? Tsugaru thinks you're a good guy," Izaya commented, shrugging.

Yoichi laughed. "He knows what I think about the war."

"But you're here." Izaya hesitated. "And so is Tsugaru." He had thought he understood Tsugaru before when the samurai told him that he had a duty to fulfill for these men, but truthfully he had not expected the two of them to end up at the opposite end of Japan, so many kilometers away from their original homes.

"Like lost leaves carried by the wind," Yoichi nearly sang, interrupting Izaya's thoughts.

Izaya sighed, wondering if he should even bother replying to that comment. He found that Yoichi tended to speak abstractly, and sometimes he had a difficult time understanding what the human thought. He didn't mind, though, and Tsugaru seemed happy enough that the two of them had finally started getting along.

"I have no other place to go." Yoichi said simply. "After the incident, my mother took me to Edo, away from the main family. They had covered up my father's death, saying that the demon killed him in cold blood."

"Why did you have to leave then?" The way Izaya saw it, if they had covered up the incident, then they were pretty much in the clear.

Yoichi's features darkened. "Because my mother knew what happened."

"Pardon?" He did not expect this.

"She knew he was friends with a demon."

"Wasn't she afraid?" Izaya asked a little hesitantly, not liking where this was going.

Yoichi smiled bitterly. "Of course she was afraid. She was the one who told them after all."

The demon prince fell silent at this.

"She thought my father was being manipulated, so she tried to get rid of the demon. She never expected her husband to stand up for your father. It was a disaster."

"Oh." The atmosphere remained taciturn, neither willing to continue the conversation. _'So she's the reason for his hatred of demons. Makes sense...'_ Izaya thought to himself. He was thankful that Yoichi had turned out this way instead, but the revelation still depressed him even more than when he first found out about the other's background. A few birds in the vicinity sang around them, hinting at the coming spring despite the snow.

Yoichi finally sighed, breaking the silence. "You know, I'm the one you should hate."

His comment confused Izaya. "Why? You were not involved in any of this."

"But their blood runs in my veins. It was my mother who taught me to hate your kind."

"Blood does not define a person," Izaya replied. "From what I can see now, you did not listen to her."

The samurai laughed darkly. "I'm not that shallow. Besides, she went mad in the end. I knew it was foolish to listen to anything she had to say to me." He sighed. "You know, I am truly one without a place to go. You and Tsugaru have a home to return to. You should not be here."

"Tsugaru told me he owed a favor, and that the others would not accept him since his father was foreign," Izaya replied, shrugging.

"I do not believe 'favors' should be repaid like this," Yoichi spat. "But the second part holds true. Humans are afraid of each other, especially the ones with power."

"I still cannot picture it...," Izaya muttered.

Yoichi laughed bitterly. "That humans can hate each other so much? It should not be hard, with the way they react to your kind."

"Yeah, but that's..."

"There's no difference," Yoichi told him. "That's what humans are." He shook his head. "I myself cannot fathom how you can find us so interesting. We're a simple, savage species."

Izaya frowned. "Same to you. I do not understand how you could hate your own kind so easily."

"What's there to love? It was not demons who killed my father. It was not demons that drove the lot of us up here into this desolate wasteland, waiting to be slaughtered."

"I still cannot see how you can hate all humans," Izaya replied, still not convinced.

"Give me one good example."

"You're friends with Tsugaru. Enough that the fact I'm together with him kept you from setting a town on me."

Yoichi stared at him blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Hey! What's so funny about that?" Izaya asked, feeling the heat rising up to his ears. "I was being serious!"

"Y-you really are a demon." He had to pause to catch his breath, chuckling as he managed to finally take a deep breath. "Your logic holds true. You have a pure mind, incapable of being controlled by power."

"What has power got to do with anything?"

"Power is what corrupts humans," he explained. "You'll see eventually. Give someone a little more than they already have, and they'll start wanting more. It will take them just as an illness would, until it corrupts them and shapes them into monsters."

Izaya shrugged. "I have not yet seen any monsters, only an irrational fear of the unknown."

"Yes, we fear. We feed off of it to keep us alive, and it makes us do things we regret. Yet, we still continue onward with our wretched lives."

"I think it's admirable."

This caught Yoichi by surprise. "Really? How so?"

"To live out your life so fully even when you know just how fragile it is."

"Hah! I see we have a true poet!"

"You're the one going on about fear and power," Izaya muttered, feeling the heat rise up to his ears again. He was not accustomed to such compliments.

"I just find it fascinating how you can control it so well. If a human were in your shoes, he would've used it to take over Japan by now."

"I have no need of a country," the demon prince replied.

.

The three of them set their cups down before starting on their dinner: fish caught by the local boats, a delicacy these days in the city. Izaya had been eyeing the shop for ages since he smelled it, and Tsugaru finally saved up enough to bring him. The two of them happened to run into Yoichi on the way there and dragged him along with them to the restaurant.

"You are lucky my wallet has not seen the sun much this past month," Yoichi had exaggerated.

"Once in a while is good for your health," Tsugaru answered. "You've been stressed lately, haven't you?"

"Where did you get that idea?" Yoichi asked, grinning. "I'm always happy as can be."

"Izaya told me." He took a long sip of tea before setting it down beside the sake cup. "I'm glad the two of you made it back without any problems."

"Ah, sorry," Yoichi muttered to Izaya.

"He didn't scold me too much," the demon replied. Tsugaru had also seen the change throughout the city, and to be honest, Izaya's walks worried him. The men were much too restless to overlook the demon now, even though Izaya had lived among them for so many months. One wrong slip might just send the entire city after him, and Tsugaru refused to take any chances on his love's safety. The dinner continued on peacefully until they went through a few more sake cups. Tsugaru noted to make sure not to let Izaya get drunk enough to throw his hat off in the middle of the street on the way home.

"So any news about our impending deaths?" Yoichi broke the calm first, his face a little red.

"You know better than to word it that way," Tsugaru muttered, eyeing the doorway. He had managed to get them a private room far away from the rest of the patrons, but he wanted to be extra careful.

"Sorry," his friend replied. "This place is pretty good! What do you think, Izaya?"

"Delicious," the demon nearly choked, prompting Tsugaru to chuckle and hand him the water.

"Take your time. We're not in a rush today."

Izaya thankfully gulped the water down to clear his throat. He sighed, setting the cup aside as he continued eating, albeit making sure to eat slower now. "I'm surprised humans can cook so well."

"What do you usually eat?" Yoichi asked him, pointing a pair of chopsticks at the other.

"Eh, the usual," Izaya replied. "We just don't get too much fish, because you know..." He took another bite and made sure to swallow before he continued. "It's not like we have any boats to go into the ocean or anything."

"The usual, huh?"

Izaya seemed to catch on to what Yoichi was thinking. "For your information, we cook our food. I have pretty high quality taste buds, you know."

The three of them burst into laughter.

"Izaya's cooking is very good," Tsugaru commented when he caught his breath, a soft smile gracing his features as Izaya turned red.

"I-It's..." the demon began to object.

Yoichi grinned. "I'm sure it is."

"I like Tsugaru's cooking too! It's always a treat whenever he has time to make me something."

"Eh?" Yoichi looked over to Tsugaru, who was now turning a little red himself.

"It's the alcohol," the samurai tried to defend himself.

"Whoever cooked this must have been doing it for many years. Definitely a local who's lived here all his or her life," Izaya concluded, nodding as he finished off his sake. "He doesn't like the fact that there's a bunch of soldiers here, but he's too proud of his craft to make anything less."

"I think you're reading too much into the food..."

Izaya grinned. "Hey, it's my hobby to read too much into humans."

The three of them enjoyed the rest of the night, reveling freely for once after so many months caught under the shadow of death at their doorstep. They finally bid Yoichi a goodnight and headed back to their lodgings when Izaya decided to stop atop one of the many bridges in the city. The melted river flowed gently below them, reflecting off the full moon above.

"Where will you go after all this?" he asked Tsugaru, who joined him in watching the stream flow below them.

"I wanted to ask the same of you," the samurai replied, his voice just low enough for Izaya to hear.

"Don't you have that duty thing to take care?"

Tsugaru frowned, sadness reflected off his calm ocean eyes. "You know what is to happen when the ships arrive."

"You know you're not allowed to die for them, right?" Izaya said, although his voice faltered just the slightest. He had hoped to exert a more confident facade, but to be honest, he wasn't sure what Tsugaru thought on the entire matter.

Tsugaru contemplated the other for a moment. "After this, I had hoped to follow you wherever you go."

Izaya perked up, a grin spreading around his face. "You mean we can go back West?"

The samurai smiled at his lover's sudden change in mood. "If that is what you wish to do."

The demon thought it over for a moment, mulling over the many possibilities. "Yoichi said the new government may not take kindly to you."

"I'm used to it."

"You'll have to let me protect you, then."

Tsugaru frowned. "You know I cannot let you do that. It should be the other way around."

"But I'm stronger," Izaya reasoned.

Tsugaru chuckled, wrapping his arms around him. "Do not worry about me. My life belongs to you."

The two stood in silence for a while, watching the reflection of the moon on the river sway softly as the water moved downstream into the direction of the ocean.

"No dying up here then, okay?" Izaya asked one last time just to make sure.

The arms around him tightened. "I promise. Not here."


	14. Chapter 14

_"Izaya!"_

He could hear someone calling his name.

_"Damn it! Don't you die on me!"_

That voice sounded so familiar. Just like a certain brute who...

_"Izaya..."_

This new voice was softer, caressing, safe.

_"Please..."_

He very much preferred this one. He should have done this long ago when the last petal from the cherry blossoms fell, when the last of the ashes scattered to the wind. He should have joined him. He should have...

 _"Izaya..."_ Now that he thought about it, something seemed off. He couldn't quite tell what it was, but he swore he heard... Who was he listening to again?

He tried to focus. When had his thoughts started talking to him like this? The sentences that formed in his mind seemed to dissipate as soon as they had come, and the more he attempted to connect them into something coherent the more scattered they became.

He gave up thinking and opted to listen some more.

 _"Izaya..."_ he heard the first voice again, or so he thought. Where had all that rage gone?

 _'Huh... how strange...'_ he mused, finally understanding why he was confused.

They were one and the same.

_._

At Hakodate, 1869. Early March.

_Meet me by the river. Don't tell Tsugaru._

Izaya frowned at the note, written hastily and dropped off at his lodgings right after Tsugaru had left for patrol. He wondered if it was Yoichi; after all, the only other human he ever interacted with during his entire time here was that man. The samurai's hatred for humans confused him, and he just couldn't wrap his head around it no matter how many times they conversed about the topic. Yoichi took care to minimize that pessimism in front of Tsugaru, but Izaya found it increasingly easy to recognize the subtle remarks the other made of his distaste for the war.

The tightening security had now robbed Izaya of most of his daily walks in the outside, and the demon felt restless whenever he couldn't sneak past the guards. He knew the Imperial Army drew closer with each passing day, and the tension of the city grew with it, ready to erupt any moment.

Izaya finally decided to go. It had been a while since he had some quiet time to himself in the middle of nature anyway. He picked up his sedge hat and headed out, hoping that the security would be more lax today.

As luck would have it, Izaya made it undetected out of the city and nearly skipped when he reached the safety of the trees. Even if he didn't meet up with Yoichi, at least he would have a pleasant walk today.

.

"The end is coming soon," Yoichi muttered under his breath as he moved through the city, trying not to make eye contact with any of its inhabitants. The spring chill did nothing to calm his bad mood, and he wondered if he should just ditch the place altogether. After all, he had already decided this whole charade wasn't worth losing his life over.

He thought of Tsugaru, his dear friend. The other had listened to his treasonous complaints without even batting an eye, only nodding silently and giving him that soft smile that indicated that he understood just as well about what was coming. Why did they have to sacrifice their lives for a losing battle? The more he thought about it the more furious he became. And Izaya...

Yoichi supposed he should vent out some of his thoughts to Izaya today if the two of them had nothing better to do. Of course the demon understood the preposterousness of this entire war, being an outsider. Then again, he took care not to call Tsugaru's precious lover out too much these days. He knew the eyes of the city were narrowing on every little suspicion, and he did not wish to set them on the demon.

It was not odd for the occasional comrade to ask about Izaya, since Tsugaru's secretive lover spends most of his days hidden away in the room or wandering around outside where he wouldn't be seen. Yoichi frowned. Now that he thought about it, the questions had become more frequent lately, and he wondered if there was any... He mentally shook away the thought, attributing it to mere curiosity of the average man. It had been quite a while since Izaya had started traveling with them after all.

Just as he thought that, he spotted Izaya under the demon's signature sedge hat in the distance.

"Oh?" He grinned. Perhaps he would be able to converse with the demon today. It should help take his mind off his current situation at least.

However, as fate would have it, the demon was gone the moment he decided to follow, blended into the crowd.

"Hm..." Yoichi looked to the trees at the distant end of town. Was Izaya going to sneak out today? Since he had already lost sight of the demon, he doubted that he could catch up. He sighed. "Oh well."

The samurai continued through the city, finally opting to head back when he found his mood still foul by the time he reached the waterfront. The horizon stood still save for the soft spring waves, and the boats in the harbor floated calmly in their usual places. He supposed they wouldn't be attacking today at least. He turned and headed back to the lodgings, daring to entertain the idea of stealing one of those many boats and crossing the channel back onto the mainland, away from everything. He could just see the armada sinking his ship the moment he managed to cut the ropes.

"Yoichi!" he heard a familiar voice call out to him as he neared the lodgings and saw Tsugaru running towards him, sweat running down his face. Now, this was strange. He had never seen the other so flustered before.

"What's wrong?"

"T-This..." Tsugaru tried to catch his breath as he held up a piece of paper to Yoichi. "You didn't write this, did you? I know you would never be this careless."

"Huh?" Yoichi stared blankly at the note. "The river?" He started listing possible locations in his head. There was a river that ran through the city, and of course there was that river in the forest he and Izaya usually...

"I can't imagine which..." Tsugaru muttered and looked up in time to see the color drain from his friend's face.

"Did someone overhear us?" he hissed under his breath as he grabbed Tsugaru and pulled his friend towards the forest.

"What..." the samurai protested.

"No time to explain!" Yoichi growled. He only hoped they weren't too late. Even then, he didn't see how they could escape unscathed. There was no doubt in his mind that there would be more than one person there to meet Izaya, especially if they suspected that he was a demon.

An idea came to him when he saw one of the pageboys jog past them. He grabbed the other's shoulder. "I need you to relay a message."

.

"Hm... no one's here," Izaya muttered, dejected. The demon sat on the grass, listening to the river gush past as he thought about his own sakura tree back in Kyoto. The two sake cups still waited for the two of them. He wondered if the tree still stood; he remembered that it had been far enough away from the burning city, and it was only by chance Tsugaru and him had met in the first place.

He thought about his home, and the lush green landscape that separated them from the human world. He could almost imagine his mother giving him a swift blow to the head the moment his feet touched the doorstep when he got back. He would dodge of course, and then... How should he introduce Tsugaru?

They wouldn't kill a human that didn't pose a threat, right? Besides, Tsugaru had no place to go, so he could just stay with them forever. Izaya toyed with the idea, but the more he thought about it, the more displeased he found himself. He could return anytime to that unchanging world. True, the world outside might just be as "rotten" as Yoichi said it was, but it was still full of excitement and change.

The spring air made him drowsy, and he found himself dozing a few minutes, his imaginations mixing in with his brief dreams. If he planned to stay out here any longer, he would have to ask Mamoru how to blend in better. _'Wasn't there that spell?'_

The wind picked up slightly and blew the sedge hat loose from his head. Sighing, Izaya stood up to retrieve the hat before it fell into the river when he heard the leaves rustle.

.

A bang echoed in the distance, prompting Yoichi and Tsugaru to run faster.

"Damn it!" Yoichi hissed as his companion grit his teeth. "Please..." He knew. He knew the moment he saw the message. He knew exactly what they would do, what weapons they would bring; he could almost picture the scene.

They finally made it into the clearing and found Izaya on hid knees, his hand grasping a bloodied shoulder as a man dressed in soldier's garb cautiously moved closer to him, rifle raised.

"Stop!" Tsugaru yelled, taking the opportunity to run between them when the attacker looked over to them.

"Move aside!" the man told the samurai. "You have been manipulated long enough!"

"Izaya has done me no harm. You know that," Tsugaru told him calmly.

"H-he's a demon!" the soldier stuttered, unwilling to move the rifle away. Yet, he looked unsure as Tsugaru stared him down, ocean eyes unnaturally flaring.

"Yeah, so?" Yoichi said behind him. "Save those bullets for the real enemy."

The man seemed to overcome his uncertainty and continued, his voice slightly quivering. "Tch... I-I didn't want to do this!" He raised his hand, and half a dozen others surrounded them, all armed.

Yoichi held his breath, looking nervously around for an opening. He found none.

"I'll ask you one more time. Please, Tsugaru..." the man said quietly.

"Kawamoto..." Tsugaru warned, moving a hand to the hilt on his sword.

"Don't make me do this!" the man called Kawamoto said, his gun arm trembling. He knew Tsugaru for many years, and the last thing he wanted to do was fire at the wrong target. He just had to somehow get around to the demon. He had to free his friend from its clutches.

Yoichi grit his teeth, wondering how else he could stall for time. "Kawamoto," he began.

"Shut up, Yoichi! You've poisoned us too long with your treachery!"

"Fine! Blame me! But leave him alone! He has done nothing to you!" Yoichi retorted. He understood fully well their distrust of him, but he had to get them away from Izaya by any means necessary. They knew that they could take down a human easily with guns, so there was less chance of them using the weapon on him if he redirected their ridiculous suspicions to him.

"He is a demon," Kawamoto hissed, his frustration showing in his quivering lip.

"He's..." Yoichi tried to reason, but before he could continue, fear gave way first, just as he had predicted.

The shot seemed to echo through the area like a final requiem, followed by a still silence.

Izaya stared at the blooming red petal on Tsugaru's back before he caught the samurai, not caring about the second bullet that had lodged in his chest.

"T-Tsugaru?" he finally managed to whisper the other's name.

"Why did you shoot?" Kawamoto also came back to life as he turned around to one of the men behind him, dropping his own gun and grabbing the other by the collar. "Why?"

"I-I..." the man stuttered, fear etched across his face as he looked towards Izaya.

Yoichi moved, and in a flash, the two men closest to him had fallen, their blood painting the fresh spring grass. He pulled his katana loose just as the first of the bullets struck him, but he continued on, slitting the nearest one's throat before moving on.

Izaya paid the yelling around him no mind as he tried to stop the flow of blood on Tsugaru, managing to put pressure on both sides of the wound with a makeshift cloth torn from his kimono sleeve. He had no more reason to hide anyway. His own blood ran freely down his arm, and he finally pulled both bullets out when they hindered his efforts to save the samurai. He could feel his wounds closing as soon as they were free of the wretched foreign objects, but the same could not be said of the one under him.

"Tsugaru!" he called again. A shaking hand grasped his.

"I-I'll be okay," Tsugaru gasped, seeming to finally have overcome the shock of being shot.

Yoichi pulled his katana out of the fourth man, finally falling to the grass on one knee next to Izaya and Tsugaru just as the first shooter broke free from Kawamoto's hold and aimed the rifle at the demon. He saw Izaya tense, and Tsugaru grabbed his lover's wrist right before Izaya was about to spring.

"No..." he whispered.

Yoichi almost laughed. They were going to die, not by the ships but by the hands of their own comrades. This was the end. Tsugaru wasn't going to let Izaya save them. The man's finger tensed on the trigger.

Tsugaru moved to cover Izaya again, but a loud whack echoed through the clearing, sending the scene into silence. He looked up weakly in time to see the shooter fall to the ground with a soft thump. Kawamoto stood over him, the back of his katana exposed.

"What are you doing, Kawamoto?" one of his two remaining comrades yelled at him, now pointing a rifle at him. Kawamoto looked at his own gun, tossed to the side when he had sprung at the unconscious man earlier.

Yoichi looked up to see the other weapon aimed at him. If his current wounds didn't kill him, a final bullet to the head surely would. Just as he accepted his impending doom, their savior burst from the trees on a horse, trampling dust through the clearing.

"I order you all to stop! Now!" the commanding voice bellowed through the forest. Everyone looked up to him, frozen. Their admiral ran his eyes over the scene before him: Tsugaru laying on the floor; a man with horns trying desperately to ebb the flowing blood; Yoichi on one knee, riddled with bullets and holding a bloodied katana; Kawamoto with his clean blade; the last two men pointing their rifles at Yoichi and Kawamoto.

"Who is responsible for all of this?"

"The demon!" one of the men automatically replied, pointing at Izaya with a shaking finger.

"Liar!" Yoichi growled, finally dropping his katana in favor of attempting to hold one of the bullet wounds closed. "He didn't lift a finger against you."

"He was the cause of this!"

"Shut up, you..."

"Enough!" They all looked at the admiral, who focused his piercing gaze on Yoichi. "Who struck who?"

Kawamoto made to speak first. "Taka..."

"I killed them all," Yoichi intervened before he could finish.

The admiral frowned. "You know what this means, Yoichi."

"It's not his fault!" Izaya finally spoke up. He helped Tsugaru sit up but did not leave his side, still trying to tend to his wounds. He could feel the bleeding through the fabric. "He was only trying to protect me!" The admiral looked at him for a long while, contemplating the situation.

"I've heard of your kind," he finally said.

"You are not using him as a scapegoat," Yoichi said, eyes narrow. "I didn't call you over here so that you could sentence him to death."

The man sighed and shook his head. Izaya could almost see the months of bloodshed that weighed heavily on his mind, along with all the decisions he had to make for his men through the course of their hopeless war. "My men are dead because of this." He looked at Tsugaru, who returned the gesture with his usual calm stare. He could see the blood running through the demon's hand. "I apologize..."


	15. Chapter 15

"Hurry! Set him on the table!" Shinra ordered when Shizuo and Celty finally burst through his front door. He had already prepared the scalpel and his other instruments, but Izaya went way beyond his expectations this time. The doctor couldn't see the actual wounds yet, but the blood soaked jacket was proof enough that the informant wasn't shot just once.

Shizuo carefully placed the demon on the clean metal surface and pulled off Izaya's bullet ridden jacket before opting to rip the ruined shirt underneath off with a monstrous tug. The back of it came off slowly, the dried blood sticking to the demon's back.

Izaya's ragged breaths came and went unevenly, and his sweat matted hair stuck to his forehead around the visible horns. The doctor grimaced as Celty grabbed a damp cloth to wipe away some of the mess.

"Shit..." Shinra cursed uncharacteristically as he tried to find the bullet entrances through all the blood.

"D-demons heal fast right?" Shizuo stuttered when he saw the extent of the damage.

"Not if there's a foreign object blocking the way," Shinra replied as he started cutting at the hole he deemed was closest to Izaya's heart. Mamoru had told him once that... He tried not to think about it lest he panicked, and he could already sense the feeling lurching in his stomach.

Despite all that was happening, the informant's eyes were sealed shut like he was in a peaceful sleep, and Shizuo found himself searching for something that would indicate that the flea was still of this world. He could still make out the slight rise and fall of the flea's back along with the convoluted breathing noises coming out of Izaya's mouth. That meant he was still alive, right? He clenched his fists, not knowing what to do. He had watched helplessly when they fired at Izaya and Akane, and the same sensation washed over him as he watched Shinra continue cutting, the bullet still evading the doctor's efforts.

"Izaya..." he muttered.

 _"He'll be okay,"_ Celty tried to reassure him.

"Yeah..." Shizuo sighed. He just couldn't put any of this together. Any other day, he would've been happy to see Izaya like this, so close to death. Heck, the flea deserved it after all of the things he's done. _'But he saved Akane...'_ his reasonable voice echoed in his head. It was not like the informant at all.

 _"I hate you all."_ The bodyguard suddenly remembered what Izaya had said earlier, right before the fiasco with Akane. _'Impossible,'_ Shizuo countered. _'He loves humans.'_

"Tsugaru..." he heard the softest of whispers.

 _'Huh?"_ He blinked, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him again. Yet, the tear that had trickled softly down Izaya's face remained where it fell when he looked again.

"Izaya..." His heart clenched, and a knot formed in his throat, making it hard to breathe. Why was he feeling like this?

_He was in that sakura grove again..._

_"I promise," he finally heard the other whisper._

_"Good," he breathed. It was the most he could do in this state to make sure his lover didn't give in to despair. He knew it was selfish of him to make the other promise such a thing, but he didn't want the demon to change because of him._

_He wanted that curious light to always shine in Izaya's eyes even after he had left this world. He wanted..._

"I found it!" Shinra announced as he pulled a metal object out with his tweezers. Shizuo saw the wound close as the bullet was thrown into a nearby bowl with a heavy clink.

.

"You should go home and rest," Shinra said as he plopped down on the couch next to the bodyguard. He yawned to prove his point, stretching his arms before adjusting his glasses. "That and your clothes are a mess..."

"You go rest. I'll keep watch," Shizuo answered him briskly, tapping his feet impatiently as he inhaled the rest of his cancer stick. He couldn't help that his clothes were dirty. Anyone would be covered in blood after carrying a man with six bullet holes in him. Besides, Celty had already volunteered to get him some spare clothes after he elected to stay.

The doctor laughed. "I can't have you killing my patient while I leave him unattended, you know."

"I won't!" Shizuo snapped, making the doctor jump. "Sorry..." he muttered. "You're right; I must be tired..."

"Ah, and I forgot to tell you," Shinra continued, regaining his composure, "I'm expecting a guest, so just in case..."

A firm knock followed like fate, prompting Shinra to go open the door.

"How is he?" the man asked as soon as his feet crossed the door frame.

Shizuo recognized him as the man who rescued Izaya from a certainly fatal tumble off the rooftop the other day. The bodyguard put out the cigarette, opting to observe the newcomer as he made his way to the flea's sickroom, so engrossed in Izaya's well-being that he did not notice Shizuo on the couch. Now that Shizuo thought about it, the man looked a little like that Akabayashi guy he talked to the other day. The bodyguard wondered idly if there was any relation between the two.

"Good good!" Shinra told the other. "He's just lost a bit of blood since it took a little while to get him here. We couldn't take him to a hospital so..."

"You made sure to remove all the bullets, right?"

"Of course! Took out six in total, just like Shizuo said."

"Six..." he hissed so angrily that even Shinra took a step back.

The man turned around, finally noticing the bodyguard's presence. Shizuo shifted uncomfortably when the other suddenly gave him a deep bow. "I must thank you for rescuing Izaya-sama, Heiwajima-sama."

Shizuo flinched. "You don't have to address me so formally uh..."

"My name is Mamoru."

"Right." Shizuo nodded awkwardly. "Pleased to meet you." He had sensed it before, but he knew for sure now. There was a dangerous air to this man, similar to what he felt whenever he smelled the flea around Ikebukuro. Perhaps he was a demon too?

"Mamoru is Izaya's guardian," Shinra explained. "You'll be staying in town for a while again, yes?"

The demon shook his head. "Actually, I was planning to bring Izaya-sama back with me, but he's in no condition to travel in his current state. We will have to wait until he wakes up."

"What do you mean by bringing him with you?" Shizuo asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. He wanted answers to all of this, and if Izaya was going to leave, then he was certainly not getting any. He almost wanted to bang his head on the wall so some sense would come back to him. Since when had he ever wanted the flea to be anywhere near Ikebukuro?

"I'm afraid I cannot disclose much on the matter," Mamoru told him. "His mother will definitely expect Izaya-sama to return after this."

"Huh? So he's going back home? That isn't too far," Shizuo muttered under his breath.

"Oh, it's far alright," a new voice interrupted them. Akabayashi had made his way into the room without anyone noticing. "You forgot to lock your door just now," he added when Shinra glanced behind him to see how he had gotten in.

"Mizuki," Mamoru warned.

"Come on, Dad," Akabayashi grimaced, glancing in the direction of Izaya's room. "Look where all this has gotten us."

.

At Hakodate, 1869. Late March.

Izaya squeezed the excess water from the towel into the bowl and folded the cloth neatly into a rectangle before exchanging it for the warm one on his lover's forehead. He swept the gold strands of hair aside lightly, blood red eyes meeting the now all too familiar clouded ocean ones.

"Thank you," Tsugaru said softly before finally relaxing in the comfort of his futon. He tried to hide it, but he knew Izaya could sense the pain he was in whenever they had to exchange the dressing. The demon gave him a small smile and placed the extra bandages back into the medicine box before gathering the bloodied ones to throw away.

The two of them had been under "house arrest" in Tsugaru's lodgings since the incident, but a messenger came every day with food and supplies. A doctor also dropped by every evening to look at the wound and administer some medicine, and the admiral himself, who Izaya found was called Enomoto, had visited several times. He found the man quite agreeable and open, similar to Tsugaru, but their predicament still frustrated him. The demon had never been indoors for such an extended period of time, and he found himself staring longingly out the window at times when Tsugaru slept.

The samurai slept a lot. Izaya had to hide himself at Enomoto's request whenever the doctor came over, so he never had a chance to ask the man just what was going to happen with Tsugaru's injuries. The wound itself still bled a little whenever he changed the bandages, and the skin around it burned red. He had never seen a human wound heal, but he was sure that it had not gotten any better since that day. To add to that, Tsugaru's fever persisted, albeit it wasn't as bad as the first few days, but there were times that the samurai almost refused to sit up for meals.

Izaya held in a sigh as he opened the book in his lap after he had taken his place next to the futon. It surprised him that Enomoto had been thoughtful enough to bring him a few after he had learned of the demon's love of outside culture. The binding of this one was something the demon had never seen before in Japan, and no matter what he did, he could not decipher the language it was in, but he appreciated the myriad of pictures that covered its pages.

A knock prompted Izaya to jump up from the bedside.

"He's here early," Izaya muttered as he went to the door. He listened cautiously for the now familiar shuffling of the messenger, but the sounds didn't match this time.

"It's me."

Recognizing the voice immediately, Izaya slid open the door to reveal Yoichi, grinning at him and seemingly still in one piece.

"How are you still walking around?" he couldn't help asking as he moved aside to let the samurai in.

Yoichi grimaced and sat down near Tsugaru as Izaya closed the door. "Trust me, I shouldn't be walking right now."

"You should really be resting too," Tsugaru told him as he moved to sit up. Yoichi waved at him to stay put.

"I won't be moving around too much longer, so I need to make the most out of it."

"So you go back to resting after this?" Izaya asked. He couldn't imagine how Yoichi's recovery was coming along, especially since one bullet had sent Tsugaru into his current state.

Yoichi smiled grimly at him. "I will. I can promise you that." He groaned, leaning back against the wall. "Say, can you make me a cup of tea? I am quite thirsty."

"Of course!" Izaya told him and scurried off to the kitchen.

Tsugaru looked up at his friend when the demon's footsteps finally faded away. "So what did they tell you? Do not tell me you snuck out on your own."

Yoichi chuckled. "Do not worry. I am allowed to move around the city today. You should know Enomoto is only keeping the two of you here for your safety."

Tsugaru smiled. "Do not get me wrong. I am thankful for that."

The two of them fell silent as Yoichi turned to gaze outside the window at the empty streets outside.

"The battle will start soon..." Tsugaru muttered after a few minutes, looking at his friend for confirmation.

Yoichi sighed and turned back to the other. "I've arranged a ferry for you and Izaya to leave the city. It's not safe for you to stay here. You've done enough for them, Tsugaru."

Tsugaru hesitated. "Where will it take us?"

"Back to the mainland. You will also be given transportation back south as far as Edo, so you need not worry once you have reached land. The ones taking you are not fighting for either side, so you should be fine. You and Izaya will be far away when the fighting finally hits this desolate land."

Tsugaru sighed slowly and moved a hand to his bandaged chest. "For once I do not think the fighting is going to be the thing that costs me my life."

Yoichi regarded his friend for a long moment with an indiscernible stare. "You're dying aren't you?" he finally muttered.

Tsugaru smiled.

The samurai bit his lip, eyes glancing to the open door. "Does Izaya know?"

"How can I tell him?"

Yoichi frowned. "I suppose you cannot. Either way..."

"I will accept your offer to leave the city. I must at least get Izaya out. He is no longer safe here."

"He has never been safe among us." Yoichi laughed bitterly. "Everything has come full circle."

The two fell silent after that, the stillness outside doing nothing to aid the quiet blanket that covered them. "You will be coming with us, will you not?" Tsugaru finally asked.

Yoichi shook his head.

"Then how did you get the boat? And I know you have never agreed with the war."

Yoichi laughed. "I have found a much better way to go, my dear friend."

"Oh? Tell me about it."

The samurai smiled, his eyes finally losing their bitter edge. "I will tell you someday. Promise."

"Sorry, the water took a while to boil," Izaya said as he entered the room balancing three cups and a teapot on a tray along with some leftover senbei he had. He set the items down and poured the steaming fragranced water slowly before handing one of the cups to Yoichi.

"Thank you," Yoichi told him, taking the cup carefully in his hands. He took a small sip, taking the time breathe in the fragrance. "Delicious."

Izaya frowned as he helped Tsugaru sit up to partake in the snacks. "It's just tea."

Yoichi chuckled. "Thank you anyway. I believe I have made the right decision."

"Huh?" Izaya looked over to the samurai.

Yoichi shook his head. "Do not worry about it. Random things come out of my mouth these days."

"As if I didn't know that already," Izaya replied, making Tsugaru snort in his cup. The three of them laughed, the atmosphere finally relaxing. They talked for a while just like old times, and the sun had already started to set when Yoichi finally stood up to bid his farewell.

He looked at Izaya for a long time as they stood at the doorway, as if he were memorizing the features on the demon's face.

"Yes?" Izaya finally asked, unable to take the attention.

"Promise me you'd be happy," Yoichi told him.

This confused the demon. "What kind of question is that?" Izaya had never heard of such a thing before, and the finality of the statement made him uneasy.

"Please..."

Izaya finally nodded, opting to just go with the flow. "I promise."

Yoichi smiled. "Good," he said briskly. With that, he was gone.

.

"Why did you have to interrupt me that day, you fool!" Kawamoto hissed, massaging his forehead as Yoichi idly cleaned off the katana.

"How was I supposed to know you were going to try to place the blame on Takahashi?" Yoichi replied as he inspected the blade. He had meant to do it since the incident, but his wounds had prevented him from doing much. He mentally cursed himself for putting it off for so long; the blood had long since caked onto the metal, and the extra scrubbing did nothing for his still-healing wounds.

"I..."

"After all, you were the one who insisted that we were all under some sort of control. I actually thought you were going to say he made me kill your friends," Yoichi relentlessly continued the onslaught on both Kawamoto and the grime on his sword.

"Tch... I do not deny that that did cross my mind. He's a demon... a monster," Kawamoto muttered.

Yoichi laughed as ran his fingers along the nearly clean blade. "You're wrong. We're the monsters. Tsugaru's dying."

The other fell silent for a moment as he absorbed the revelation. "Tsugaru..." he finally stuttered. "What have I done?"

"You know what you've done," Yoichi replied, making Kawamoto squirm.

"And you... I still cannot picture General Enomoto doing something like that."

"It's called maintaining morale," Yoichi replied as he reattached the blade to its hilt. "Your two remaining friends would have certainly said something if I tried to place the blame on Takahashi. If there's anything I'm annoyed at, it's that he got off easy."

"They say the blow to his back paralyzed him."

"Serves him right," Yoichi spat. "Always the type to act before he thinks."

"Ugh."

"See? Even you refuse to stand up for him." Yoichi sighed as he stared at the candlelight bouncing off the blade. "I'm only glad the general has more tolerance for the unknown than the average soldier."

"You actually negotiated the deal with him?"

"Oh, I told him everything afterwards. Why do you think I'm allowed to walk around so freely before the deed? Or that he'd give those two a boat so easily?" He sheathed the sword, satisfied.

"Then..."

"Oh, you're off too. It's not like you actually killed anyone, even though you did paralyze Takahashi."

"Yoichi..." Kawamoto bowed his head. He hated the man before him, but not enough to wish such an end upon the other.

"I will not die needlessly," Yoichi said quietly as he set the sword down. "You will make sure of that, Kawamoto. We may not see eye to eye, but I know you care about Tsugaru as much as I do. I know Enomoto is a man of his word but I still... "

The other samurai nodded solemnly, resolution burning in his eyes. "I will make sure they get out safely."

"Good." He stood up with a little effort, leaning on the blade a little for support despite himself.

"I underestimated you," Kawamoto told him. "I apologize for my comments earlier. I did not expect your friendship with Tsugaru to be so close."

Yoichi laughed with a little effort. "You think that was the only reason? Oh, one more thing, and I understand if you will not be able to fulfill it." He reached into his kimono and took out a folded note.

.

Yoichi looked at the katana calmly, inspecting all its gleaming ridges. He had made sure to clean it well; the last thing he wanted going through his mind was the thought of its previous victims' foul human blood mixing with his own.

At his request, Kawamoto had left him alone for the final hour after he had seen the signed papers himself. By now, Tsugaru and Izaya should already be on the boat heading back to the mainland.

He remembered the look on the demon's eyes just before Tsugaru had stopped him. It was impossible to call that demon a monster. If Izaya was truly a monster, then no one would have left that clearing that day.

He only hoped that the demon would stay the way he was, but Tsugaru... He stopped at the thought of his friend. Such reflections were useless now. He could only hope for the best after he had left this wretched world. He needed to stop being so pessimistic.

 _'It'll all be okay,'_ he tried to reassure himself. He had lived a good life. He had found a friend like Tsugaru, and he had made peace with Izaya after all these years of searching, hating. He was fine now. Everything would be fine, he told himself. It had to be.

He closed his eyes, raising the sword to his bandaged stomach.

_'You'd better find happiness...'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Historical Notes:  
> \- Enomoto Takeaki was the admiral of the Tokugawa forces during the Boshin war. He studied warfare overseas in his 20's and was fluent in Dutch and English.  
> \- Seppuku was used as a means of capital punishment for samurai until after the Meiji Restoration.


	16. Chapter 16

_The outskirts of Edo, 1869. April._

_They had miraculously made it this far south despite the ending war, traveling quietly by boat and wagon after Yoichi had smuggled them out. Izaya could feel Tsugaru getting weaker each passing day despite the other's reassurances that the warmer weather would bring back his strength. The samurai was dying, and there was nothing he could do but watch and dutifully change bandages._

_He knew humans didn't heal as fast as demons. He knew that, and even he could tell that the wound was getting worse. The redness only spread, and the blood turned sticky and foul, reminding him of the hopelessness every time he peeled back the bandages to clean it._

_Tsugaru ran a fever for many of the days they traveled, and delirium took him for most of the trip. He had almost forgotten Izaya at one time, but he came to his senses quickly when he saw the demon cry for the first time since they left Hakodate._

_The two finally set up lodgings in Edo, unable to continue any further west for the time being. Izaya hoped for the better, but Tsugaru slept on day after day, his condition seeming to come to a stasis._

_This particular day, Tsugaru felt well enough to walk out of the house, so of course Izaya obliged when he asked to go the blooming sakura grove just outside the city, the same one the two of them met at after Tsugaru had first moved East._

_They found a nice spot under one of the larger trees and rested under its shadow, lying down on the lush grass still untouched by Edo's inhabitants. Izaya snaked his fingers through Tsugaru's, warming his lover's cold hands with his own._

_They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the quiet spring day away from the bustle of Edo. Izaya reminisced about the grove back near Kyoto where the two sake cups still remained buried. The city had been burning when they left, and he wondered if the fighting had taken to the forest. Mamoru had said nothing of it in his last letter, so he assumed everything had calmed down already by now._

_"Izaya..." Tsugaru finally broke the silence, calling his lover's name softly. Izaya sensed the change and felt the grip on his hand tightened slightly. He tried desperately to hold it in, but he could feel the traitorous tears trickle down his face. He made to wipe them away with a sleeve, but Tsugaru's eyes were already meeting his. "I need you to promise me..."_

_"Please don't die." Izaya pled, voicing his fears for the first time since the incident. "Please... Tsugaru..."_

_Tsugaru smiled softly. The wind picked up around them and a swarm of petals covered the air like a light spring rain of soft pink._

_"Promise me..." he whispered. He could feel his time coming, and he had to make sure. "Promise me that you'll find happiness..." His eyelids grew heavy as he tried to voice the rest of his clouding thoughts._

_"Tsugaru..." Izaya buried his face in Tsugaru's chest, listening to the slow thumping of the other's heart. He knew. He had known since that day in Hakodate that they would not make it back to Kyoto, that the last sakura that the two of them would experience together would be in the city of Edo, so far from where the two of them made their first promise under the sakura tree._

_Tsugaru smiled, caressing the demon's silky hair with his other hand._

_"Don't lose hope in humans..." he continued, "don't ever lose that curiosity of yours... don't give into despair..."_

_"How can I, when you won't be here?" Izaya sobbed._

_Tsugaru chuckled. "That's not true." His grip tightened lightly on Izaya's hand. "I'm right here. I'll always be..."_

_"You promise?" Izaya asked, unwilling to look up._

_"Yes... so please... promise... me..."_

_The demon hesitated. How could he, with Tsugaru like this? Everything he had seen in Hakodate, in this war the humans had created, only served to strengthen his hatred._

_"Please..."_

_Izaya finally nodded into the other's kimono. "I promise."_

_"Good," Tsugaru breathed._

_Izaya looked up at the samurai when he noticed the other's heart's slowing. He had been determined to not let Tsugaru see any more of his despair so that he could assure the other that he'd be okay, but the fear of losing Tsugaru eclipsed everything else._

" _Tsugaru?" he quavered._

_The samurai didn't answer him._

_"Tsugaru!" he repeated desperately._

" _Iza…" he heard the softest of whispers caress his ears._

_Izaya felt the grip relax, and he slowly laid his head back on the other's chest, unwilling to move._

_The lone sound of the spring wind was the only one that kissed his ears._

.

He heard the systematic beeping echoing around him like a curse, a testament to the life that still flowed through his veins.

 _'Tsugaru...'_ He felt his heart clench even in his dreams. This heart should not be beating.

Something foreign covered his face, and he could smell the crisp pure air that entered his lungs with every breath. _'An oxygen mask?'_ Izaya had never needed one in his life, and he regarded the new experience experimentally, finally concluding that the clean air did not even come close to the natural scents of his homeland back in the West. He supposed it was a nice break from the polluted air he had become accustomed to with the industrialization of Edo.

He felt bandages bound tightly around his chest and shoulders. Didn't Shinra already know how fast he healed? As much as he appreciated the doctor's help in hiding his healed cuts, this was overkill. He had only been shot a few...

 _'Wait...'_ It all came back to him at once: the shots fired, the girl staring wide-eyed at him as he felt his consciousness fade, Shizuo calling his name in an emotion other than anger for the first time since they met.

Izaya's eyes snapped open as he took a deep breath, the already dim lights glaring mercilessly at him as he came to. He sat up quickly, finding his body strangely sluggish despite the lack of the spell. He felt tears at the corners of his eyes and wiped them away slowly as he recalled the dream of his past, one that he had been suffering for so many years.

"How are you feeling, Izaya-sama?" a familiar voice asked, finally bringing him completely back from his dreams.

Izaya almost groaned, knowing that Mamoru would certainly give him a scolding this time around. "Tired. How long was I out?" The oxygen mask muffled his voice, and he attempted to remove the device, finding his body frustratingly unresponsive.

"Three days," Shinra answered him, stepping in to help. "You've lost a lot of blood."

Izaya chuckled as he breathed in the familiar scents of Shinra's house. "So many shots, and I'm still here, huh?"

"Yeah, I thought you were done for," Shinra added as he placed the oxygen mask on the bedside table. Despite this, the doctor chuckled a little himself. "Five to the back and one from the side, point blank I might add. Do you know how lucky you are that they all remained intact and missed your heart?"

"I must thank you again for removing them," Mamoru said to Shinra, who shook his head.

"No need to thank me. It's good demons heal so fast." He grinned. "I really should've gotten a tissue sample."

"Shinra," Izaya warned.

The doctor laughed. "I swear! I have nothing! But..." He tilted his head to the side. "You were healing extremely slowly so I had to wrap the bandages that tight. Was it because you couldn't get the bullets out or..."

Izaya looked from Shinra to Mamoru, seeing the displeasure in the latter's eyes. He bit his lip, averting their gaze. "Sorry... I overdid it."

"Please do not use the spell until you are fully healed, Izaya-sama," Mamoru finally told him. He rubbed his temple. "I really do not want to drag you back to your mother while you are in this condition."

The mention of his mother caught Izaya off guard. "Why would you?"

Mamoru shifted uncomfortably. He hadn't intended to bring it up so soon, especially with Izaya in this condition. However, a quick nod from Shinra prompted him to continue. "Your mother wishes for you to return home. She has been talking with the matriarch of the Orihara family and they've agreed that it was the best course of action."

"Wait. I'm not following," Izaya muttered.

Mamoru sighed. "Orihara-sama is dying."

"Huh?" Izaya loathed his expressions of confusion, but the words really made no sense to him. The matriarch had been healthy as a horse the past, albeit few, times he's seen her.

"Your mother does not want you here when the time comes. Orihara-sama insists that you will be fine under her orders, but Kyouko-sama does not wish for you to stay in Edo."

Izaya contemplated his words for a moment. It made sense, after all. If the head of the Orihara Clan passed away, then there would be a power struggle for her position, especially since Kyouko was only a half-demon. In that case, wouldn't it be beneficial for him to stay then, since he was so close to the main family? _'Unless...'_

"Don't tell me they suspect I would also fight for that power?"

Mamoru bit his lip. Izaya had hit the mark.

Izaya's eyes narrowed, his annoyance shown clearly through. "I think they've been around humans way too long."

To his surprise, Mamoru did not reprimand him. "There are other reasons of course. That was not the only factor in their decision."

"P-please, tell me later," Izaya said, massaging his temple. He could honestly care less about the "other" reasons at this moment. They wanted him to return now of all times? It was like fate had dealt him a final blow.

"As you wish. I shall let you rest for now. Please think carefully about what you wish to do." Mamoru gave him a bow and left the room.

Shinra twiddled his fingers nervously as he looked between Izaya and the now closed door.

"Did you know?" Izaya finally asked him.

"Ah, they talked about it while you were sleeping."

"They?"

"Akabayashi came over and kind of forced it out of Mamoru in front of all of us."

Izaya remained silent for a moment before asking, "Who else was there?"

Shinra found it odd that Izaya would pose such a question. "Well, there was me, Celty, Akabayashi of course, Shizuo..." he trailed off, realizing what information Izaya had been trying to obtain.

Izaya looked down at his hands, deep in contemplation. He didn't want to think about it, but there was really no other explanation for how he had survived the entire ordeal, not to mention they would have never taken him to a hospital.

"Shizuo brought you here," Shinra verified his thoughts.

"Why?" The question was simple, but he had never wanted an answer as much as he did now.

"You were shot?" Shinra offered.

Izaya felt his heart surge at this. "W-why?" he finally stuttered. "I've made his life hell for all these years. I almost killed him so many times! I... He's just a normal human. Why would he help someone like me?"

Shinra sat on the bed, giving his friend a much needed rub on the back. "Because he's human," he told the other as Izaya tried valiantly to compose himself. "We help people who are in need. You should already know that, observing humans for so many years."

Izaya finally sighed, admitting defeat as he slumped back into the bed. "I know."

.

Shizuo trudged through the park, the cigarette in his mouth long burned out. Today's work had been slow, and Tom even praised him for his self-restraint. To be honest, he had been out of it the past few days, waiting for the flea to wake up so he could give him a good punch for being a flea.

It was ironic. Just when he thought he was about to get some answers from Izaya, the flea had to get himself shot, and now Izaya was going to leave forever. He should be happy right? He didn't even have to give Izaya the well deserved beating. All he had to do was stay away from Shinra's for a few days, and then he would be flea-free forever.

Shizuo paused. _'Forever.'_ He didn't care for Tsugaru's sentiments, and memories were just memories after all. These days, he'd sometimes feel the longing, but he blocked it out as easily as his body blocked out pain. He just needed to continue for a few more days, and he'd be free forever.

Shizuo stopped at the corner, remembering Izaya's expression before the entire incident. The other had said something about "hating" humans. He couldn't imagine what was going through Izaya's mind all this time. He had never seen such a look on the other's face. It was like Izaya had given up long ago, and the weight of his sorrows shone clearly in the demon's eyes that day.

He punched the wall.

"AMA. Against medical advice," Shinra told him half an hour later. "I don't know where he ran off, but he should really be resting for a few more days. Celty's agreed to look for him, but I don't think she's found him yet."

.

 _"How do you know he's here?"_ Celty asked. Shizuo had found her easily enough after leaving Shinra's, and he had made a beeline to one of the buildings in the city. The sun had already set by now, and a light blanket of night covered the city, the lamps cradling the streets in warm light around the area.

Shizuo shrugged. "I just do. You can't miss his stench when he's in Ikebukuro." He kicked open the side door and started to climb the stairs, pausing when he didn't hear Celty follow. "Aren't you coming up too?"

_"I'll wait for you down here."_

The debt collector frowned.

_"You two should talk alone."_

The steps seemed endless, and with each floor he passed, Shizuo wondered just what he would find when he reached the top. If Izaya really wasn't there, where would he find him next? What should he even say to the flea? Izaya was leaving, right? He'll never have to deal with his arch-nemesis again.

The thought should've made him ecstatic, but for some reason, all the excitement had disappeared somewhere far away. The anger he had stored in him all these years dissipated when he saw the flea's seemingly lifeless body on the pavement that day, like Izaya himself had been wiped off the face of the earth. All that remained was this shell that he did not recognize, this fragment of a past long lost that called itself "Izaya."

He finally reached the door to the roof and opened it carefully. The back of a hooded figure seated along the edge of the building was his prize, as he had hoped.

"Izaya..." he breathed, the words he wanted to utter still caught in his throat.

"I no longer have any reason to stay, do I?" Izaya replied, not moving from his spot on the wall. "Tsugaru is gone, and everyone would be happier when I go too."

"That's..." Shizuo had no adequate proof to object to that statement. He had hated the flea all his life, right?

Izaya chuckled. "See? Even you cannot give me a reason, Shizu-chan."

"Tch." At least Izaya was still calling him "Shizu-chan." He supposed he should be happy with that level of normality.

Izaya touched his chest, feeling the bandages under his shirt. "Thank you, by the way."

"Huh?" This caught Shizuo by surprise.

"You didn't have to save me, so I'm thanking you," Izaya explained.

"Anyone would've done it!" Shizuo objected, still very much perplexed with his greatest enemy's change of heart.

"Anyone?" Izaya chuckled. He pulled his legs up with a little difficulty, feeling his healing wounds stretch in defiance. Per Shinra the one closest to his heart had healed first, but for some reason the rest took their sweet time. "Hey, entertain me for a little bit, please? We're not going to see each other anymore anyways."

"What?" Shizuo didn't like where this was going.

"You don't have to say anything," Izaya reassured him.

"Tch. You owe me." The Fortissimo of Ikeburo walked over to Izaya and took a seat next to the informant before crossing his arms sternly. "Okay, I'm ready."

Izaya smiled. "I suppose I do owe you." He closed his eyes, steadying his breathing as he pushed the pain of his wounds to the back of his mind. He pictured the sakura trees that used to bloom all over Edo, and _his_ eyes, the deep ocean orbs that loved him so much.

"Hey, Tsugaru..." he finally muttered, "I broke my promise."

Shizuo flinched. He remembered, in his own voice...

_"Don't lose hope in humans... don't ever lose that curiosity of yours... don't give into despair..."_

"I'm sorry." Izaya pulled his legs up closer. "I-I'm sorry," he repeated, his voice a little shaky. "Sorry..."

Shizuo frowned, feeling a knot well up in his own throat despite himself. He had an overwhelming urge to smack the demon back to his senses. It made him uncomfortable, seeing Izaya like this. He instead found himself rubbing the other's back awkwardly in an attempt to calm him down. Shinra did say those wounds weren't healing as fast as they should right? Izaya was doing nothing to help them right now, curled up into a ball like that.

They remained like that for a while, no words exchanged between them, Izaya's ragged breathing the only sound that broke the stillness. Looking down at Izaya's shuddering form, Shizuo finally understood. Tsugaru had doomed the other the moment he asked him to make that oath. They were like chains that tied the demon prince down to this world, restraining him from moving on. The thought suffocated him. Why did he have to care so much? _'These are Tsugaru's feelings,'_ he told himself. Yet, they flowed over him like an endless ocean of despair, drowning his very being until he couldn't tell what were his thoughts and what were Tsugaru's. _'No,'_ he finally told himself, _'these are my feelings. Tsugaru is gone.'_

Izaya felt the hands on his back stop, and the one next to him took a deep breath.

"I relieve you of your promise," Shizuo finally said softly. Since when had the fortissimo of Ikebukuro, feared by all, been able to speak like that?

Izaya looked up, eyes a little swollen. Shizuo felt even more lost, staring into those expressive blood red eyes.

The demon prince finally smiled. "Thank you, Shizuo."


	17. Chapter 17

"I'll take care of things until you get back," Akabayashi said to Izaya before turning to Mamoru to bid his father farewell. The half-demon didn't even give Izaya a chance to retort, although the prince didn't have the heart to trample on the other's optimism. Mamoru had been adamant about not returning to Edo after all.

"Call me if you ever need anything," Mamoru managed to say, his voice bearing the slightest hint of regret.

"You'll remember to charge your phone, right?" the other joked. Izaya could see Akabayashi's hand tighten on the cane. 

Before he knew it, the two of them were on the shinkansen on the way back to Kyoto, back to where it all began.

The buildings sped by in concrete colored blurs as the shinkansen picked up speed, and soon Tokyo disappeared from sight. Izaya aimlessly stared at the human world outside, the departure weighing heavily on his mind.

He had left everything behind as they were.

Shinra of course wanted him to bring back souvenirs, and Kururi and Mairu managed to catch him just the day before his departure only to threaten to drag him back to Ikebukuro if he stayed away too long. He didn't understand why they would even want him back there. It was his influence that shaped their personalities and probably made Kyouko hate him as much as she did after all.

He sighed and closed his eyes, not wanting to think any longer. There were no cell phones in his pockets; he left everything with Namie with instructions to contact Akabayashi if she ever needed anything. And Celty's head...

He gave up. Humans are smart. They'll figure out what to do with themselves even if he wasn't there.

.

He walked up the nearly unmarked trail apprehensively. It had been over a century since he had taken this path up to the main house hidden deep in the woods. Mamoru had insisted on leading them, but Izaya refused his offer, determined to prove to his friend he was still very much part of this world.

They finally reached a hidden door and went easily through the barrier. The steps that disappeared halfway through the thicket made him pause.

"Is something wrong?" Mamoru asked.

"No."

They began to ascend, and soon each step sent a radiating sting through his wounds. By the time they finally reached the front steps, he was sweating from the pain. He didn't understand why they were taking so long to heal. He supposed it was punishment for all of the things he had done up until now.

Mamoru slid open the front door, and Izaya gulped. He knew what was coming.

His mother stood before them, her features exactly the same as he had remembered her: long silky black hair that mirrored his own before he cut it and deep blood red eyes.

"Izaya..." she didn't seem to believe her own eyes as she walked over to him and cupped his chin with one hand.

"I'm home, Mother," Izaya said, bracing himself.

The punch hurt much more than he had expected, and Izaya found himself going straight down, the pain searing his sensors like wildfire.

"How many years has it been?" she yelled at him. "Not even a letter! Or that E-mail crap Mamoru keeps telling me about!"

"We do not have a computer in the house, Sakurako-sama."

"Oh, right." She sighed. "Lucky for your dear mother that Mamoru tells me about you." She hugged her unresponsive son. "I've missed you so much! Do you know how worried I was, especially with what happened with…" she paused, unable to say her late husband's name. Her voice softened. "I'm glad you're home."

"Uh... Sakurako-sama..." Mamoru finally interrupted.

"Huh?" She let go of Izaya for a moment. "Izaya? Hey!"

He was out cold.

.

"I didn't expect something like that to knock him out. And those wounds..." The demon queen sighed before taking a sip of the tea Mamoru prepared for her. "I was honestly afraid. I've only seen that kind of damage on a demon body once in my life. I never wanted to witness it again."

"Please do not blame yourself, Sakurako-sama," Mamoru reassured her. "He has been using the spell quite a lot the past few months."

"It's good that he's returned then." She set the teacup on the table a little harder than necessary. "If anything were to happen to him too, I don't know what I would do. Not to mention, the issue with the demons in the East has been really troubling." She crossed her arms, deep in thought. "I still do not understand how she's dying. We're the same age after all."

Mamoru shifted slightly, biting his lip as he tried to decide whether or not to tell her.

Sakurako turned to him, sensing his reluctance. "Do you happen to know anything about this, Mamoru?"

He sighed, knowing she had made the decision for him. "I suspect Orihara-sama may have overused the spell."

"Hm, I've never heard of our kind dying from it. Although, I guess Izaya's living proof of how much damage it could do." She nodded to herself.

"Orihara-sama has not lifted the spell once since her husband passed away." Mamoru remembered one of his meetings with the matriarch descending into an argument when Kyouko had brought up the subject. He could only suspect who was the winner, given their current predicament.

"Huh? But, that was years ago!"

"It was," Mamoru confirmed.

.

Izaya groaned as he woke and found himself staring blankly at the darkened ceiling of his old room. He sat up slowly, grimacing as his wounds throbbed in protest. Everything looked exactly the same as he had left it, so many years ago. He spotted his furry coat folded neatly on top of the table on top of his other clothes; someone had changed him into a kimono while he was out. A quick peek at his bandages told him someone had changed those also.

He slowly made his way into the hallway, the crisp afternoon sunlight greeting him as he stepped onto the wooden veranda leading to the lush garden that surrounded the entire building. The brightness nearly overwhelmed him, so he opted to settle himself on the wood, leaning against one of the support pillars as he closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh air.

The wind picked up softly, caressing his hair, and the occasional mountain bird chirped a song in the distance.

He had forgotten how calm Kyoto was.

"This is how it should be," he muttered under his breath.

"Are you certain of that statement?" a soft voice behind him nearly made him jump straight into the pond, but he restrained himself at the last moment. Izaya turned around to see a boy who looked very much like himself.

"Who…" he stopped. There was only one person this stranger could be. "You're Sakuraya."

The other beamed. "It is wonderful to finally meet you, Nii-san." He bowed gracefully, the pink sleeves of his haori flowing with his movements. "Mamoru has told me so much about you."

"Is that so?" Izaya studied his brother intently. He hadn't been back for so many years that he wasn't sure how the environment had changed in the West. However, if his mother was willing to take him back, then it must not be as eventful as whatever was happening in the East with the Orihara family.

He still deemed it necessary to quell any fires, so he decided to prod just a little to test the waters.

"There's no need to bow. I'm sorry if it's a little strange for you, meeting your older brother for the first time after so many years."

"Oh no, I have been waiting for this meeting for a very long time," Sakuraya told him. The younger demon looked around a little airily, but the halls remained empty. "Mother has given me one of the tea rooms in the forest to use as I wish, so she never sets foot in there. Would you like to change locations?" he asked, holding out a hand.

Izaya smiled and took his brother's outstretched arm. He stood up a little shakily and followed Sakuraya out, making sure to step lightly lest he alerted anyone in the household.

"This place has not changed at all," Izaya commented as the two of them made their way across the complex.

"Sometimes I feel as if not even a pebble has been dislodged from its home since I arrived in this world," Sakuraya agreed softly. They finally reached the entrance and made their way into the forest. The two trekked on silently until they arrived at a clearing with a lone building, one of the many tea rooms their clan had built among the trees surrounding the main house. "Here should be good. Mother allowed me a little privacy in return for not leaving the demon homelands."

Izaya stepped inside the 4 1/2 mat room and snorted. "Obviously, you have not been listening to her," he commented as he examined a bag of konpeito next to the flower arrangement, most likely obtained from one of the shops in Kyoto's candy street. "How did you not get caught?"

"Aiko said her brother wanted to give it to me."

Izaya looked up at his brother, red flags instantly going off. "Who's Aiko?"

Sakuraya averted his eyes. "A human."

Izaya stared at him for a moment before narrowing his eyes. "You shouldn't be meeting with them."

"W-why?" he asked, taken aback by his brother's indignant response. He thought Izaya of all people would understand him, having lived in the human world for so many years.

"Humans are weak creatures. We don't belong in their world, and they don't belong in ours," Izaya answered simply.

"You have lived in their world for so long, I was hoping for a different answer," he finally replied, the disappointment apparent on his face.

Izaya set the bag of candy down, massaging his temple. "Maybe if you asked me a century ago."

"But you must have human friends too?" Sakuraya insisted.

Izaya paused. Everyone he had left behind in Ikebukuro suddenly appeared in his mind: Shinra, the twins, Kadota, Shizuo... He bit his lip, unable to argue back, the sinking pit of despair eating away in his stomach making his wounds ache even more.

He suddenly thought of Tsugaru, and he clumsily sat down, tired from all the thinking.

Sakuraya loomed over him worriedly. "Are you okay, Nii-san? You look a little pale."

 _"I relieve you of your promise."_ Shizuo's words echoed in thoughts, almost like a caress. That night had been pretty much a blur to him, but the one thing that remained cemented in his memory was that release the other had freely given him. So many years of war, yet Shizuo had saved him so willingly. He felt the slightest pang of guilt wash over him. He didn't deserve those words.

He clutched at his chest as the pain deepened, mixed in with the wounds.

"Nii-san?" Sakuraya's voice called to him through the haze. "Nii-san!"

.

Izaya woke to find himself in a futon his brother had somehow stuffed into the small tea room. The pain had subsided somewhat, and he sat up for the second time that day, rubbing his eyes to adjust to the sunlight.

"How are you feeling?" Sakuraya was sitting in the corner of the room, worry written all over his face. His genuineness was refreshing; Izaya had forgotten the last time he had met such a character, especially in his line of business. If anything, he was worried that if Sakuraya were to take over the family, he might be too easily swayed by those around him.

"A little sluggish," Izaya replied. "Sorry... how long was I out?"

"Only for about an hour." He let out a long breath. "I was worried I would have to carry you back. I would not know what to say to the others."

"Do they think that you've been venturing outside?"

Sakuraya thought for a moment. "I suspect that Mamoru knows."

Izaya sighed and decided to lie back down for the time being. "Then you should be fine for now." He put a hand up to his eyes to block out some of the light. Everything was far too bright for him.

"Hey, Nii-san," Sakuraya interrupted his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

He heard the other hesitate, probably debating whether or not the question would make him angry. He didn't intend to overreact earlier, but the thought of Sakuraya slipping into the same trap as him was far too much for him to think about at the moment.

"What was he like? The one you waited for all this time?"

He heard his brother pour some tea and decided to sit up, silently accepting the steaming cup from Sakuraya.

"You want to know about Tsugaru?"

Sakuraya nodded.

.

Sakuraya dangled his feet off the veranda as he watched the stars outside. Izaya had fallen back asleep shortly after eating when they returned to the main household, but his brother's words still weighed heavily in his mind. He had meant for the conversation to be a release for Izaya, but he didn't realize just how much Tsugaru meant to his brother.

He couldn't even compare such a feeling with his own experiences, although he supposed if _that person_ suddenly passed, he would probably shut himself away for a long time. He knew humans lived fleeting lives; he had made sure to distance his thoughts from them the first time his mother had told him to.

However, the moment they met, he had already fallen deep into their trap.


	18. Chapter 18

_He idly watched the small creature run through the pouring rain, her tiny legs hopping over the uneven terrain as the wolf closed in on her. The girl finally tripped and slid a few feet right below the tree he was in when her pursuer pounced in for the kill._

_She was going to die. Humans were such fragile creatures._

_"Hm." He nimbly hopped down the branches and landed between the two. The wolf's jaws dug into his hand, but he simply cast the dog aside, hurling it into the nearby bushes. It howled as it landed, giving the demon a submissive gaze before it slinked back into the trees._

_'Time to disappear...' he prepared to jump away when he felt a small hand tug at his kimono. He automatically turned to look at the human before he could stop himself._

_She stared at him quietly, her brown eyes studying his own blood red ones. Those must have been the widest eyes he's ever seen. He waited for fear to take them and got ready to disappear at any moment. Instead, the girl laughed. "You're a demon!"_

_"Huh?" He didn't understand. She was supposed to be afraid. Humans were supposed to naturally hate his kind. His mother had specifically told him not to become like that no-good brother of his._

_The girl let go and gave him a little bow. "Thank you, Mr. Demon!"_

" _Ah," he hesitated, unsure of how to handle the situation. Humans weren't supposed to act like this, right? "You are very welcome." He decided to be courteous to it. She barely came up to his waist. What harm could she do?_

" _Aiko? Where are you? Look, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that! Aiko!" a new voice yelled out. Before he could react, a young human boy with golden hair, probably a few years older than the one he had saved, he could not tell, ran out into the clearing, twigs and leaves scattered all over his clothing. Sakuraya could see the relief in his clear hazel eyes when he found the child unharmed. "A_ _iko!" She ducked behind Sakuraya, burying her head into the folds of his kimono._

_"What did you do to Aiko?" the boy demanded, arms raised to fight._

_"Nothing. However, there was a wolf," Sakuraya replied, his slightly bloodied hand pointing to the thicket. The wound had already closed, and the rain had begun to wash off the evidence._

"Be nice _! Mr. Demon saved me!" the one called Aiko squeaked. "Why are you always so mean?"_

_"Is that why you were in the forest all alone?" Sakuraya asked her softly._

_Aiko nodded. "He hates me."_

_"No, I..." The boy grimaced._

_"I highly doubt that statement." Sakuraya told her when the boy seemed unable to continue. "Look, he followed you all the way out here. He was very worried, Aiko."_

_She sniffed, looking guilty down at her feet._

_"The forest is dangerous. You should not venture into it on your own, understand?"  
_

_"But you're here."_

_Sakuraya didn't know what to say to that. Humans were definitely strange._

_Thunder roared above them, and before they could continue their conversation, Sakuraya looked up in time to see a branch falling towards the three of them._

" _Look out!" he yelled as he threw himself over the human children. The branch slammed onto his back, and the momentum knocked him over. After a moment, Sakuraya gave the heavy load on his back a shove, easily moving the debris off of him as he got off the other two. He surveyed the area, making sure nothing else was going to fall and looked back at the other two._

" _Are you hurt?"_

" _N-no," the boy stuttered as he pulled the child to her feet. "Are you okay? That looks pretty bad!"_

" _Hm?" Sakuraya rubbed the side of his head only to find it soaked in blood, concluding that the branch must have slashed him earlier. "Do not worry yourself. It has already healed."_

_The boy gulped, obviously shaken by the entire ordeal. To Sakuraya's surprise, he suddenly bowed. "Thank you very much for saving Aiko. I'm sorry for suspecting you earlier."_

_Sakuraya put a sleeve up to his mouth, taken aback by the human's sincerity. "There is no need to thank me."_

" _Of course there is!" the boy insisted, looking up. Sakuraya really wondered about those hazel eyes. They seemed to glisten at him through the rain so clear, transparent, determined…_

_He smiled despite himself. "I will accept your thanks then. My name is Sakuraya. May I ask your names?"_

_The boy motioned to the girl. "This is Aiko, my sister."_

_Sakuraya couldn't control his eyebrows from rising in disbelief. He never knew humans could look so different when they were related. The girl of course looked Japanese, just like the ones he had occasionally seen wander into the forest. He had assumed the boy was foreign. Of course, something else about the other's demeanor had struck him as odd too._

" _You keep talking about your sister," Sakuraya told him. "What is your name?"_

" _Shitsuo. Shitsuo Kawamoto," he replied._

_._

The pouring rain outside reminded Sakuraya of their first meeting. He fondly recalled how he had to make up an elaborate story about how he fell off a cliff to account for his bloodied kimono. His mother almost did not buy it, but Mamoru had stepped up to save him at the very last moment.

He knew it was wrong. He had meant that meeting to be their last, but it had already been nearly a decade since that rainy day. Thoughts of their most recent encounter flashed through his mind; Aiko came up to his ears now, and he had to strain his neck sometimes just to meet Shitsuo's eyes.

Humans really did age quickly.

Sakuraya spotted his brother sitting in the usual spot under the veranda outside. It had already been a month since Izaya had returned home, and he seemed to have been stagnated in the past. To make matters worse, the wounds from the "gunshots" didn't seem to be healing. Sakuraya saw it as a reason for concern; he had never seen a demon heal so slowly. He had tried to bring it up with Mamoru, but the other merely told him it was a side effect of the "spell" he had heard so much about. Izaya might end up healing at the rate of a human for a while before he regained his full strength. Sakuraya couldn't help but wonder if his brother's state of mind had anything to do with the slow recovery.

 _'Humans really are fragile,'_ Sakuraya thought to himself as he took a seat silently next to his brother. If only one was able to make Izaya like this, then what would become of him? It scared him, and he suddenly felt an urge to run into the forest to meet up with them _._ Sakuraya closed his eyes to calm himself. That idea was as preposterous as it was impossible. The one he wanted to see more had gone off to work in a land called Osaka and shouldn't be back just yet.

"So tell me a little more about Aiko," Izaya's voice interrupted his thoughts to his surprise. He didn't expect his brother to start the conversation. Izaya had remained mostly quiet these past few weeks. "Mother has some meeting with the others today so we should have this side of the house to ourselves for a while."

Sakuraya frowned. "Ah, I was not told of such a meeting."

"I was just told to not go," Izaya reassured him.

"I do not see how that is any better," Sakuraya replied, making his brother chuckle.

"Well, so who is Aiko? I want to hear about the human that caught my brother's interest."

"She was not the one who caught my interest," Sakuraya replied, feeling his ears turn a little red despite himself. "The elder brother..." he trailed off.

"Eh?" Izaya didn't expect this.

"Aiko is the heir of one of the old families revered for their ability in the 'tea ceremony.' She has already started her training."

"That doesn't make sense." Izaya frowned. "Usually the first in line gets the duty."

"Shitsuo called himself an 'illegitimate son.' I still do not quite understand why that would keep him from inheriting the position though."

"Oh," Izaya replied, biting his lip.

"Do you know what that means, Nii-san? I was afraid to ask. He seemed uncomfortable talking about it when I asked him, so I had left it as is all these years."

"Wait, how many years?" Izaya thought this was a recent thing.

"Ten, this year." He looked up to see his brother gaping at him.

Izaya finally found his voice again after a moment. "That is quite a long time. I'm impressed."

"I have been careful," Sakuraya replied. "We do not meet often these days; Shitsuo has recently moved to the place called Osaka for his job."

"Oh, that's not too far. If you snuck on a train in Kyoto, you could get there in about half an hour."

Sakuraya smiled. "That is good to hear. If you could teach me how to take this "train" one of these days, I would be very grateful."

Izaya instantly spotted the relief in his brother's voice and subtle display of happiness that painted itself across his face. He felt as if he were looking at an image of himself, so many years ago. He had meant to deter his brother from meeting with the humans anymore when he started this conversation, but all of his words were lost to the past. What right did he have?

"So what does 'illegitimate' mean?" Sakuraya asked.

"It means not according to standards or what is generally accepted by society," Izaya gave him the first dictionary definition that flashed across his mind.

Sakuraya seemed to understand easily enough. "Oh, so that is why he cannot inherit the Kawamoto name. He is not accepted by society..." he stopped for a moment before adding, "...like us."

Izaya looked up, not believing his ears. "Can you repeat that name again?"

.

Izaya walked along the stream slowly, his own thoughts threatening to drown him. The rain had stopped for now, but he knew it would come back soon. He could smell it in the air.

There was no way the two Sakuraya talked about could be descendants of that Kawamoto. There are so many families in Japan with the same surname.

 _'What are the chances?'_ Yet, he couldn't help but play with the notion in his mind. The man who had been responsible for Tsugaru's death was called Kawamoto. He had not stayed long enough to learn about that man's fate, but it was still possible, although nearly impossible, that the cursed samurai had somehow survived the war and traveled all the way back to Kyoto afterwards.

 _'There's no way, right?'_ He wanted to hit himself for even trying to place the blame on his brother's friends and possible love interest.

.

"I have just received word of Orihama-sama's passing," Mamoru announced to the panel.

"Impossible!" one of the older demons exclaimed, looking to Sakurako. "She was around Sakurako-sama's age, wasn't she?" He slinked back when his own matriarch shot him a sadistic grin. "Not that I'm calling you old, Sakurako-sama."

"She had used the spell for too long," Mamoru explained. "We know it weakens us when we keep it up for extended periods of time, and Orihara-sama had stayed in human form for several decades now."

A muffled gasp echoed through the room.

"This is way too sudden. I was expecting her to hold out for at least several more years," Sakurako muttered to Mamoru.

"We should restrain those among us from using the spell and seal the barrier," the first demon spoke again, looking at Mamoru. "We should not be wandering in the human world in the first place. It is far too dangerous, especially with the unrest in the East."

"I agree with Ryouichi. Izaya-sama is a perfect example," the one sitting on the far right, the brother of Sakurako's current husband, added. "I heard he still has not recovered."

"Please do not use my son to support your agenda, Hibiki," Sakurako raised her voice, silencing the room.

"With all due respect," Ryouichi finally spoke again, "the time we must seal ourselves off completely from the humans is quickly approaching. With the rate they've been expanding, soon they'll cut through this forest and we will be left exposed without the full barrier."

"The time has not come yet," Sakurako told him. "And I will make that decision when it does come."

Her words were absolute, and the room once again fell silent at this. It was a few moments before Ryouichi spoke up again.

"There is the matter of an heir again, now that Izaya-sama has returned to us." He glanced pointedly at the one who had interrupted his prior speech.

"I understand that completely," Sakurako told him. "Again, I will make my decision when the time is correct. They are both still far too young to be thinking about such things." She crossed her arms. "And I will not be dying on you anytime soon, unless one of you would like to object?"

Ryouichi shook his head. "I just wanted to make sure you were aware, my lady."

.

"Did you hear that? Sakurako-sama still refuses to name your son as heir!" his brother growled as they left the main house's grounds.

"It's her decision in the end, not ours," the other replied. "I don't even know if Sakuraya wants to take over the family."

"You're his father, Takashi! You're supposed to teach it to him!"

Takashi sighed. "It is not my place to make decisions for others, dear brother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wah! It felt weird not giving everyone names, so everyone ended up with a name ^^" Here's a quick name meaning guide as a little extra present since you've read this far. It's probably not 100% accurate, but it was pretty much how I chose their names.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading! (hugs)
> 
> Mamoru (守): Izaya's guardian; his name means "protector"  
> Yoichi (陽一): Tsugaru's friend; his name means something like "sun/clear/pride first (son)"  
> Kawamoto (川本): surname of Tsugaru's friend who tried to kill Izaya during the Boshin; the characters mean "river" and "book"  
> Takahashi (高橋): surname of the samurai who shot Tsugaru; the characters mean "tall" and "bridge"  
> Sakurako (桜子): Izaya's mother; her name is a combination of "sakura" and "child"  
> Aiko (愛子): Sakuraya's human friend; her name is a combination of "love" and "child"; I like to think of it as "a child who is loved very much"  
> Takashi (孝): Sakurako's current husband and Sakuraya's father; his name means "filial piety"  
> Hibiki (響): Takashi's older brother; his name means "echo" or "sound"  
> Ryouichi (亮一): the old guy who kept on talking during the meeting; his name means "clear one"


	19. Chapter 19

The man gaped at the destruction before him, the space that used to be his front door replaced by the two people from the apocalypse here to collect his debt. He just needed one more day, just one! He'd never imagine that the agency would be so impatient.

That was okay though, he told himself. He'd just do what he had set out to do when the doorbell rang. He was going to politely ask these kind people to give him one more day, and all would be well. That was all he had to do.

He fainted before the first word could come out of his mouth.

Tom sighed. Their current situation was all of course, a courtesy of Shizuo, who had ripped the door clean off its hinges when all he meant for other to do was stand there.

"You know he was about to open the door, right?" he asked his friend.

"I thought it was unlocked."

"Why would I ring the doorbell if it was unlocked?"

Shizuo shrugged as he leaned the large piece of now useless wood against the wall. "What do we do with him?"

Tom hoisted the man up, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "I'll take care of him. You go take a break for the day," he told Shizuo as he dragged the unconscious debtor to the closest sofa. This one was supposed to be an easy job, and now they'll have to deduct the damages for the door from the man's debt. Good for him, Tom supposed.

He admitted that it was a great improvement from before when Shizuo would tear down everything in a rage whenever someone didn't pay, but this absentminded state his friend seemed to have gotten himself into had an almost similar impact on their jobs.

Shizuo found himself plodding through the streets of Ikebukuro, hands stuffed into his pockets as he made his way to Shinra's. He didn't mean to jump the gun earlier, but the truth was all this tranquility had made him uneasy. He found himself constantly on the lookout for trouble, something that had followed him all his life, especially after he met Izaya. With the flea gone, things in Ikebukuro seemed to have calmed down considerably, or at least any disturbances had flat out avoided him.

It wasn't like he missed the pest, he had told himself. There was no way he would want to go through all that chaos again.

He remembered those lost blood red eyes staring into his that night before Izaya left for good.

Shizuo sighed, the cigarette in his mouth falling onto the floor as a result. He put it out slowly, crushing it dispassionately under his shoe. The flow of Tsugaru's memories had stopped ever since Izaya disappeared from Ikebukuro.

Yet, he could not forget those eyes.

"Great! You came just in time!" Shinra exclaimed as soon as he stepped through the front door.

"Huh?" He watched the doctor run back and forth from the rooms, each time with a new object to throw into the open suitcase. First was an extra lab coat, then a first-aid kit, then a box full of metal tools most likely for surgeries, a toothbrush, the toothpaste, some underwear… Shizuo covered his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"We're going to visit Izaya! You should come!"

"Why would I do that?" Shizuo growled. Izaya was entirely at fault for his current predicament. The last thing he wanted to do was visit the flea, especially when Ikebukuro had finally gotten rid of that pest.

" _Shinra doesn't know where he is,"_ Celty typed out on her PDA.

That reason made no sense to him. "And why would I know?"

"You always say you can smell him whenever he's in Ikebukuro," Shinra explained.

"I'm not a dog," Shizuo grumbled.

" _Don't you want to see him too?"_

"No!" He remembered those expressive blood red eyes, so familiar yet so alien to him. He felt as if he had spent an eternity staring into them before. The last thing he wanted to do was see those eyes again.

"Aw come on! It's already been a month!"

Shizuo sighed and plopped himself down on the sofa. "That long, huh?"

The doorbell rang, and Celty opened it to reveal Akabayashi. Shizuo had not seen the man since that incident with Izaya, but even he could tell the other looked a little worse for wear. Akabayashi sat on the couch next to Shizuo, sighing as if he was recovering from running a marathon.

"Busy?" Shinra asked him, closing the suitcase.

"I knew I should have just told them I got mad and sent Izaya to the bottom of Tokyo Bay. They wouldn't question that story at all," Akabayashi replied. "Oh, or that he died protecting Akane. That would've been true too!"

"Then Akane would blame herself," Shizuo interjected.

"Oh yeah, that's why I didn't use that one." He lit a cigarette, taking a long draw before he continued. "Oh, so I saw the twins today. They didn't look very good."

" _They've been like that since Izaya left."_

"Yeah, but they were looking around a lot, like they were worried someone was following them or something. I tried to ask them about it, but they were gone before I reached them."

"Do you think it happened already?" Shinra asked him as he poured his two guests some coffee.

Akabayashi frowned. "That's unusually fast, you know? Demons are supposed to last pretty long." He raised his hands up defensively when all the attention in the room seemed to suddenly focus on him. "Hey, I was just assuming. I'm only a mutt."

Four hours later, Shizuo found himself sitting next to the window in a shinkansen speeding towards Kyoto. Shinra had reasoned for him that it would be a waste of a perfectly good ticket, since Akabayashi had magically opted not to go last minute, citing something about "looking into things."

He sighed and leaned further back into his seat, deciding to nap for the rest of the journey. It was Izaya's job to collect information, not someone like Akabayashi, although he still adamantly refused to believe that there was any sort of hole in Ikebukuro ever since the informant left. No, this was just going to be a nice vacation for him, away from the bustling of a big industrial city like Tokyo.

Shinra could threaten him however he wanted, but Shizuo had made up his mind.

The flea was gone, and things were perfect the way they were.

_The other smiled, eyes as beautiful as the blood red sunset rays of the dying sun._

_"Hey... Tsugaru..."_

.

Shizuo grumbled, refusing to admit to himself that he had no idea where Shinra and Celty had gone, and he currently did not have an inkling of where he was. He lost them at the main train station and decided quite bravely to go and look for the hotel himself, although now he admitted to himself that it wasn't one of the better decisions he's made in his life.

"Damn it." He thought Kyoto was supposed to be an easy city to navigate, given its perfectly lined and numbered streets, but it didn't help that he only had the name of the hotel. He knew he should just ask for help or, better yet, call Shinra or Celty, but he hadn't quite forgiven them for dragging him into this mess yet. He was going to find the hotel, look up some places to visit, visit them, and then be on his merry way home.

That's how it's supposed to be.

"Nii-san?" he heard someone call out behind him, and he involuntarily turned around. "Ah!" the owner of the voice immediately bowed to him. "Sorry! I thought you were my brother!"

"Eh?"

She pointed to her head, a bright smile on her face. "You two have the same hair color."

"I see," Shizuo replied, not knowing what to make of this. Kyoto locals were strange, he decided. Obviously, this girl's brother must have dyed hair like his.

"Did you need some help?" she asked him. "You looked like you were lost."

"N-no I wasn't!" he replied. Shizuo then reconsidered, given his current predicament. "Okay I'm lost," he decided to admit. If this weird girl could get him back to his hotel, then he wouldn't have to rely on the two lovebirds and end up caught up in their search for Izaya. He pulled out the crumbled piece of paper Shinra had given him and flattened it out before showing it to her.

"Oh! You're not too far from it! I can walk with you part of the way," she offered. "I'm headed back that way anyway."

They started their trip in silence with the girl in front of him as Shizuo studied the buildings around him. He finally turned his attention back to his guide and noticed a slight skip in his rescuer's steps, and wondered if this was a Kyoto thing too.

"Oh! Sorry!" she blurted out when she noticed him staring before biting her lip, "I just got excited earlier when I thought you were my brother. He's half-Japanese, and he tends to stand out."

Shizuo wasn't sure he appreciated being compared to someone who stood out. "Do we really look alike?"

She laughed. "Just a little. He's working in Osaka, but I haven't been able to visit lately. High-schoolers' are on break right now, so my family's dead set on teaching me as much as they can about the tea ceremony."

"I see."

"So where are you from? I don't see tourists get lost in Kyoto often."

 _'Well, excuse me for losing my map!'_ Shizuo thought violently.

"Ikebukuro," he answered curtly, deciding that he could be a little nice since she agreed to bring him back to the hotel.

He finally spotted a building that looked very much like the picture Shinra had shown him up ahead and as if on cue, the girl stopped.

"I'll be heading that way, then." She paused, seeming to think of whether or not she should add anymore to her words of departure.

"Thanks," Shizuo told her, wondering why she had suddenly become shy.

"You're very welcome!" She grinned, then hesitated again.

"Just spit it out," the bodyguard encouraged her in the only way he knew how.

"Ah, since you're from Ikebukuro..." she paused, "do you happen to know anyone by the name of Izaya?"

Shizuo froze, completely not expecting this.

The girl laughed nervously. "Ah, of course you wouldn't. Ikebukuro's a big place."

 _'But the flea has an even bigger presence,'_ he continued in his head.

"If you do happen to meet him, can you please pass a message on for me?" she asked.

"Sure," he agreed a little hesitantly, wondering if she was one of those girls the flea had tricked in the past. However, looking at how bubbly she was, perhaps that wasn't the case.

"Tell him to look for Aiko Kawamoto in Kyoto. I have a letter for him."

 _'Expressing her deepest desires to kill him?'_ Shizuo's imagination about its contents got the better of him.

"Please," she bowed again. "I believe the writer, as well as my great-great-grandfather, would be at ease if Izaya read it."

 _'Great-great…'_ Shizuo reconsidered the response he was about to give her. If it was from her ancestor, then he wondered if it had any connection to Tsugaru. Yet, Shizuo had already made the resolve to not look for the flea. Agreeing to such a request would only put him in an awkward situation. Her eagerness made him unwilling to outright reject her request, and he found himself sighing.

"Actually..."

.

"Are you sure she's going to be there?" Izaya asked as he idly watched the rain pour down outside. He hadn't expected the rainy season this year to be this bad. His wounds had finally decided to close the past week, but the humidity did nothing for the occasional pains he still felt.

Sakuraya smiled. "It was raining like this the first time we met." He crossed his arms in contemplation. "Although, she rarely calls me out when she is on her own. Usually the two of them are together when we meet."

"Yeah, a girl should probably not be wandering the forest alone when the weather's this bad," Izaya agreed. "If you're going to go, you'd best go quickly and send her home."

"I wonder what could be so urgent."

Izaya shrugged. "Women do strange things, you should know." He paused. "You don't think, she, you know..."

Sakuraya didn't catch the hint. "I do not understand."

Izaya sighed. "Nevermind. Just hurry up and don't do anything stupid."

Sakuraya nodded and headed off, leaving his brother alone in the hallway. Izaya decided to retire back to his room, opting for another nap to pass the time. He paused for a moment before entering, glancing at the empty garden.

_'Was there someone there?'_

.

Aiko glanced at her watch. She gripped her umbrella tighter when the wind picked up and slightly threw her off balance. She wanted to smack herself for being so impatient, but if Izaya was truly back, then she wanted very much to pass the letter she found to him. And in her defense, she hadn't expected the rain to start so early in the day.

"I hope he shows up soon..." she muttered. She sighed, remembering an incident quite similar to this one right before Shitsuo had left for Osaka. She shook the memory out of her head. She had already resolved herself to this, and once it was all over she could move on from it. She had to be as strong as he was.

The leaves rustled.


	20. Chapter 20

"This may not have been the best idea," Shinra lamented as the two of them trudged through the forest, now more lost than ever since the storm picked up. He was glad that they had the umbrella with them so that he could cuddle under it with his beloved, but if the winds got any worse, soon even that would be useless.

 _"We should probably head back for today,"_ Celty agreed.

"Any idea which way goes back to the station?" He knew his beloved was much more diligent than he, so there was no way they were totally lost.

Shinra reconsidered their current situation when Celty shook her head no.

He sighed as he took off his glasses to shake away some of the water. "If only Shizuo would agree to come with us for even one day, I'd bet we'd find Izaya in no time!"

Celty typed the next words slowly. _"I don't think he's ready."_

"Yeah..." Shinra sighed. As twisted as Izaya had been, he just wanted to make sure his friend was okay. He couldn't imagine the other leaving things as they are without any regrets. Not to mention, if what Akabayashi had suspected was true, then Ikebukuro would probably need him quite soon.

A scream suddenly echoed through the forest, prompting the two to look at each other. They nodded silently in agreement and ran towards the distress call.

.

Aiko involuntarily stepped back when someone other than Sakuraya emerged from the bushes.

"Why do you retreat from me?" the stranger questioned.

She recognized the familiar horns; his were much longer than Sakuraya's. Aiko gulped, wondering just what another demon was doing in the forest like this. Sakuraya had once told her that the rest of the demons rarely left their home, that Izaya, the one she had been looking for, was one of the sole exceptions.

"Ah, my apologies! You startled me," she told him, bowing respectfully.

His lips turned up in what seemed to be a smile, but his eyes gave him away instantly.

"Startled? I would say you are still frightened even now." He took a step towards her. "Now, why is a human child such as yourself doing in the forest at a time like this?"

Aiko bit her lip, knowing that mentioning Sakuraya's name would definitely prove ill for her long time friend. "I was playing a game with my brother, but I got lost. I was hoping to go look for him when the rain subsided," she lied.

"Is that so?" He was much too close. "So do you consider tainting my nephew's mind another game of yours?"

She blinked, not expecting this turn of events. "What do you mean?"

"You should know your place, human."

He suddenly lashed out, and she raised her arms up just in time to avoid a direct strike to her neck. The blow still sent her across the clearing until she collided with one of the trees. She crumpled onto the ground; she could feel the blood pool in her throat as she tried to scream.

Aiko saw the feet of her attacker walk towards her and hacked the fluid out of her lungs, gasping for a deep breath before she finally let out the loudest scream she could muster.

"Silence," the demon snarled as he picked her up by one of her aching wrists.

Aiko only screamed louder when the pain shot through her body. She knew the blow from earlier must have broken that arm, if not both of them. A hand wrapped around her throat, shutting her airway, and she stared blankly into blood red eyes as her vision began to fade.

"W-why?" Aiko mouthed.

"You should be honored," he told her, halting his crushing grip so that she could hear him through without dying, "that you were even able to spend a little time with the future king of our clan. I will not let a human distract him from his duties."

To his surprise, the human child suddenly glared at him with renewed strength.

"You sound just like my family."

"Shut up!" Before he could rip her heart out, shadows surrounded them, threatening to engulf him as they snaked around the trees. He dropped her and jumped away just as they lunged to grab him. "Tch." He ran into the bushes and disappeared.

"Hey! Can you hear me?" She saw a man with glasses looming over her, pulling out a bunch of supplies from a box as another figure dressed in black helped him. "Try to stay awake, okay?"

.

Sakuraya dashed through the familiar unmarked paths of the forest to their usual meeting place, the rain pounding on his face as the storm began to pick up. Rain always made him feel nostalgic. The last time he had seen Shitsuo, the day the other had told him he was leaving for Osaka, it had been pouring just as harshly.

He finally neared the clearing, and the panicked voices he heard up ahead did not bode well. He slowed down and tiptoed towards the sounds so that he would not be heard. Did Shitsuo return from Osaka so soon? He paused when he saw Aiko's familiar red umbrella lying on the floor.

"Aiko!" he yelled as he threw caution to the wind and bursted through the thicket to see her on the ground, bandages wrapped around both of her arms. The tree next to her was cracked, and he could see what looked like bruising handprints begin to form on her neck. The worse of it was that her wide brown eyes were closed, her breathing ragged.

"Aiko?" Sakuraya gasped, making the two humans next to her look up.

No, the one in black was not human he sensed. He rushed over to her side. "What happened? Who did this to her?"

The man seemed to hesitate.

"Who?" he yelled.

"A demon," he answered.

"S-Sakuraya?" the girl in his arms gasped as she came to. He saw the blood through the bandages.

"I don't know how much damage she's sustained. I can operate immediately if needed if we can get to someplace dry," the man told him. "We're kind of lost though."

Sakuraya gingerly picked his friend up in his arms. "I know where her house is."

.

Sakuraya hid in the branches of one of the large trees that overlooked the Kawamoto household, aimlessly watching the raindrops hit the leaves next to him as he waited for the man who called himself a doctor to return. He had to stop right at the edge of the forest since he couldn't be seen by Aiko's family, so the rest was up to her two saviors.

The doctor had called his attacker "a demon," meaning that the man knew what a demon was. Sakuraya clenched his fists. The thought that one of his own had hurt Aiko made him furious, and he was even more angry with himself that he had let her get hurt. It was inexcusable.

After what seemed like hours, a rustle finally alerted him, and he hopped out of the branches to see the female greeting him.

" _She's stable for now,"_ he read on the little black box she carried around to speak. _"We didn't want to risk bringing her to a hospital given the nature of her attacker, so Shinra's arranging for some equipment for further imaging. She might have broken both arms, and we think she must have sustained some other injuries from hitting the tree."_

"I must apologize for all the trouble," he told her.

" _It's not your fault. Thank you for helping us out of the forest to save her."_

Sakuraya bit his lip. Not his fault? It was completely his fault. If it weren't for him, Aiko would not have had a reason to go into the forest. He turned to leave. He had to return, or else the rest of these humans would be in trouble too, having seen him.

" _Are you returning already?"_

"I shouldn't even be out here," he told her. "But I must thank you again for all that you have done."

" _Rest assured. We'll protect her."_

He nodded and took off into the forest.

Celty looked down at her PDA, the name "Izaya" still typed onto it. She couldn't find it in her heart to ask him. She put her phone away before heading back to the Kawamoto household. If anything, she was certain that the demon would visit again, given how much he cared about the girl. She can ask him about Izaya then.

.

Sakuraya trudged through the hallways of the main house before finally stopping in front of the garden, leaning on a pillar for support. He put a hand up to his mouth, feeling his stomach clench as he recalled everything.

One of his kind was responsible for all of this. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought that someone he knew would do such a thing to a completely harmless human. The wooden pillar creaked, the wood beginning to crack as he clenched his fists. He had to find out who before they did any more harm to his friends.

"Sakuraya?" He turned to see his brother. Izaya took one look at him and motioned to Sakuraya's room.

"What happened? You were gone for several hours at least," Izaya asked in a low voice while pouring some tea.

"Aiko was attacked." Sakuraya buried his face in his arms. "It was my fault. I should not have agreed to meet her."

"I don't see how that is the case. Obviously, you weren't the one who hurt her." Izaya gave him a cup of tea and settled onto one of the cushions, deep in thought. "Is she okay?"

"I don't know. She was stable when I left."

' _Then not too well…'_ Izaya took a sip from his tea, wondering if he should delve into this more than he needed to. He couldn't let go the uneasy feeling he had when Sakuraya had left earlier for the meeting. The possibility of course existed, but he doubted anyone would do anything so drastic as to harm a human in this day and age. Then again, most of their kind were so separated from the human world it was difficult to tell how much sense they had in such matters.

"He told me it was a demon."

Izaya looked up, eyes wide. "Was the brother there?" he asked.

Sakuraya shook his head. "A human doctor and his friend happened to be in the forest at the same time. They saved her."

"A doctor..." Izaya muttered under his breath.

"I thought something was strange," a new voice said from outside the screen. The shoji door slid open to reveal their mother and Sakuraya's uncle, Hibiki.

"Ah, Mother..." Sakuraya gasped.

"I tried to warn you, Sakurako-sama," Hibiki quipped.

"Quiet," she warned him before turning back to her sons. "You were seen by a human, Sakuraya?"

"One of us…" Izaya tried to interject, but she held up a hand to silence him.

.

Mamoru sat dutifully outside his charge's room, arms crossed as he tried to ignore the sobs from inside. Footsteps made him look up to see his long time friend looking down on him.

"Visitors are prohibited," he told Izaya solemnly.

Izaya smiled innocently. "I just need some quick information."

Mamoru raised an eyebrow, not believing the other was planning to do anything particularly benign when he received such information. He did have to admit that he appreciated the increased energy the other seemed to have. It was like the old Izaya back in Ikebukuro was beginning to resurface.

"I will allow you one question. Make it quick."

"Excellent." Izaya kneeled down next to the shoji door. "Sakuraya, listen to me." The soft sniffles stopped, and he could hear shuffling as his brother moved closer to the door. He lowered his voice to barely a whisper but enough for Mamoru to also hear.

"Why wouldn't Mother listen to me?" Sakuraya asked, his voice cracking.

"Because she cares for you very much and doesn't want you to end up like my father." He paused for a moment. "Or me…"

"Izaya-sama," Mamoru muttered.

Izaya continued. "Listen, I don't think she realizes it was a demon who attacked Aiko. She's too fixated on your safety right now."

"It really was one of us?" Mamoru gasped. Izaya motioned for him to calm down.

"If Aiko is alive as you said, then she's still in danger right now. We need to find out who attacked her before he comes back to finish the job." He paused, giving Mamoru a determined glance before turning back to the shoji door. "I need you to tell me where to find her."

.

"You look terrible," Shizuo commented when Shinra and Celty finally returned. He could make out splotches of blood through all the dirt that had covered his friend's white coat. "What the hell happened?"

"We got lost in the forest," Shinra admitted, removing the soaking lab coat. He tried to shake some of the dirt off at the entrance of their hotel room but gave up, opting to toss it onto the coffee table before plopping himself down on the sofa.

"I meant the blood."

"Ah," Shinra chuckled. "Well…"

"You found him?" Shizuo guessed a little hesitantly.

" _No, but we found someone who might know of him,"_ Celty said, joining Shinra at the sofa.

"He left before we asked him anything though," Shinra continued before patting his beloved on the back. "I don't blame you of course! He was in pretty bad shape after what happened."

"Wait what happened? Stop being so vague about it," Shizuo growled.

"We met this demon who looks almost exactly like Izaya! There was no way they weren't related. But before that…"

" _One of the other demons attacked this girl in the forest. We managed to scare him off, but she was heavily injured, and we were lost in the forest."_

"And just like that, the Izaya-look-alike came and helped us out. He was very worried about Aiko."

"Aiko?" Shizuo suddenly remembered the strange girl he met just the other day. He had told her that the one she was looking for had returned to Kyoto, so did that mean she went into the forest to find Izaya? He gulped, feeling a little guilt start to build up.

"Yeah, she's fine now, but everyone's pretty shaken by what happened." Shinra groaned, massaging his forehead. "Aiko was fine when she woke up, but I'm worried if that demon will come back for her. She wouldn't tell me what she saw, and we barely got a glimpse of him. He ran off pretty fast."


	21. Chapter 21

"We greatly appreciate you visiting. Aiko-sama hasn't been her usual self since the incident," the servant explained as the two of them made their way across the complex.

"I see," Izaya muttered, pulling his fur hood further over his eyes. He felt a little dizzy and wondered if he would be able to keep the spell up through his conversation with Aiko. He didn't understand why it was so difficult this time around, although he did admit to himself that he had still not fully recovered. Izaya let out a soft sigh, wishing that everything would just end already.

"Why would you say that?" they heard a yell behind the shoji screen doors just as they approached it.

"Ah, please take your time," the servant said before bowing curtly and hurrying off. Izaya frowned, wondering if such occurrences were common.

He took a breath and knocked softly on the doorframe. The voices inside stopped.

"I'm here to visit Aiko," he announced, and the door slid open to reveal a foreigner dressed in a tailcoat.

_'They use western butlers?'_

Izaya blinked and looked up. Shitsuo was tall, probably taller than Shizuo, and the two looked strikingly similar. If he placed them side by side, they might have passed off as brothers. Izaya immediately felt his resolve weaken, wishing he had come earlier before the brother had a chance to arrive. The other's hazel eyes burned with frustration, but the man swallowed whatever he had wanted to say and moved aside to let Izaya into the room.

"Ah, sorry for intruding," Izaya apologized as he stepped inside and removed his hood.

"Sakuraya?" Shitsuo gasped. To Izaya's surprise, the other's hazel eyes were staring straight into his own instead elsewhere like his forehead or ears, which would have been the more obvious signs. "No, you're not Sakuraya," he concluded almost instantaneously.

Izaya shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint you, but my name is Izaya." He saw the one called Aiko instantly look up. Someone had moved an entire hospital bed inside, its presence an abnormality in an otherwise normal Japanese-styled room. An IV line ran under one of the two casts on her arms, and a bandage covered her neck. Izaya considered her lucky that she survived the attack, knowing full well what harm a demon could do to a human body in a matter of seconds.

He turned his attention to the brother. "I take it you rushed over from Osaka as soon as you heard the news?" That would be the only explanation for the strange uniform.

Shitsuo seemed surprised. "How did you know?"

Izaya shrugged. "Sakuraya told me."

The other hesitated. Izaya saw conflict in those hazel eyes. "How is he?" Shitsuo finally asked.

Izaya crossed his arms, leaning against one of the dressers for support as the spell threatened to overwhelm him. "He's under house arrest. Mother found out he has been meeting with you humans." He could see Shitsuo grimace. "Health-wise, he's been well, if you wanted to ask about that too." Izaya mentally sighed when this didn't seem to appease the other. "Please don't worry about my brother. I'll handle things with the main household."

Shitsuo's frown finally melted away, revealing a soft smile. "That's good to hear."

Despite his efforts, Izaya felt a faint pang of jealousy. It was nearly the same expression Tsugaru used to give him, those years so long ago. He tried to stifle the feeling, but the image of that day poured into his memories, the very last moment he had felt that warmth.

He knew those ocean eyes were long gone.

The tightness in his chest was too much for him to bear, and he slid down to the floor, clutching at his heart. The spell dropped just as suddenly, and he felt his horns rematerialize as he tried to catch his breath.

"Are you okay?" Shitsuo had caught him to slow his descent to the tatami. Izaya nodded while the pain dulled to an ache.

"Sorry…" he groaned, resting his forehead on his knees. He had to focus. "I assume you wouldn't want to see a demon so soon."

"Why wouldn't we? Sakuraya's our friend," Shitsuo pronounced the last word with the slightest hesitance.

Izaya looked up, realizing that Aiko hadn't told her brother yet. She looked away, unable to deny the information she had withheld. He wondered at this, since of all people, Shitsuo was the safest person to tell this to. He spontaneously decided to break the news to Shitsuo, reasoning that if she was going to be secretive about it, then he would need a helper to get information from her.

"It was a demon who gave your sister those wounds," he informed the other.

"You were attacked? You told me you fell!" Shitsuo immediately flared up, turning to his sister on the bed. Izaya decided that he really did remind him of Shizuo instead of Tsugaru.

"If word got out that there are demons in the forest, your kind will probably come with guns and tanks and who knows what else," Izaya explained carefully, his eyes meeting her wide brown ones for clarification. To his surprise, he found none.

"We would never…" Shitsuo trailed off, unable to fully deny the statement.

"I asked the doctor to hide the handprints," Aiko finally spoke, her voice raspy.

Izaya frowned. "I'm surprised you're still alive."

He saw her hands tremble as they grasped the bedsheets. He slowly stood up, feeling some of his strength return since dropping the spell, and knelt by her bedside until they were at eye level. "Listen, I promised Sakuraya I'd find out who did this. Do you remember anything strange your attacker might've said?"

She hesitated.

"You can tell me," he coaxed, motioning for Shitsuo to be silent when it looked like the other wanted to add to the conversation.

"He referred to Sakuraya as his nephew," she whispered.

"Hmm." Izaya stood up. "Thank you."

"W-wait, Izaya!" she called after him as he turned to leave.

"What is it?" he asked her. She seemed to hesitate, and she looked at Shitsuo for reassurance.

He bit his lip, eyes glancing at Izaya before returning their attention to his sister. "This may not be the best time, Aiko."

"I've been searching for Izaya since we found it, and he might not come back," she returned, apparently deciding on her own despite her brother's input. She turned her gaze to the piece of furniture Izaya had used as support earlier. "In the top drawer, there is a letter."

"Huh?" Izaya eyed her suspiciously before walking to the drawer in question and pulling it open. Tucked away to the side was a blank sealed envelope.

"I meant to give that to Sakuraya to give to you," Aiko told him as he gingerly pulled the object out. She choked up a little before continuing in a small voice. "It was supposed to be our last meeting."

Izaya looked up. "What do you mean by last?" he questioned. He did wonder if the other's refusal to tell him the information earlier was due to her trauma, but there seemed to be something deeper going on behind everything.

"I agree. Why do you keep saying that, Aiko?" Shitsuo added. Izaya wondered if that was what they had been arguing about earlier before he arrived.

"It's all my fault," she muttered, looking down at her arms.

"Aiko..." Shitsuo tried to comfort her, but she pulled away.

"I stole everything from you, even Sakuraya!" The outburst made her cough, and Shitsuo rubbed her back carefully until her hacking subsided. She attempted to push him aside weakly.

Izaya blinked at this. This human thought she "stole" Sakuraya? "Why would you say something like that?"

"I told you before, don't think like that," Shitsuo comforted her, but she shook her head.

"I told you that I liked Sakuraya, and then you left for Osaka right after," she said. "You even refused to commute even though it was so close!"

"I just happened to find a job at that time. It was mere coincidence," Shitsuo replied, although Izaya detected the lie instantly. Aiko seemed to also catch on, and she continued the interrogation.

"Then why didn't you even visit him to say goodbye?"

Shitsuo had no response to this, and Izaya looked at the both of them incredulously. He hadn't realized his brother had not seen Shitsuo for such a long time; Sakuraya had always been so optimistic. The thought of his brother waiting pained him. He knew what it was like to wait. He had waited for over a century, only to have the one he wanted to meet again so badly attack him on sight.

"He'd ask for you every single time we met last year, without fail, again and again," Aiko continued. "Can't you see?"

"Aiko, he cares for you very much," Shitsuo tried to convince her otherwise.

"I know you love him," she returned, her wide brown eyes staring into his.

Shitsuo gaped, unable to deny it. He finally averted his gaze, looking down at the floor. "You know I would do anything for you, Sister. If you had told me who attacked you, I would've killed him in an instant."

"Then Sakuraya would have been sad," she replied, her eyes meeting Izaya's.

Izaya returned her gaze silently, the letter still clenched in his hands. He understood perfectly now. Human love was complicated, and he had seen quite a substantial amount of it as an informant playing around with their lives in Ikebukuro. He had distanced himself so far from it that after all these years that he had forgotten how beautiful it could be.

Izaya swallowed hard. After all this time, he had been the same as the ones he tricked, always being pulled around by it, its invisible strings strangling his existence. It was no different for these two humans who stood before him now.

"You know…" he offered, making the two look at him. He knew Aiko knew of course, but the brother was stubborn, just like Shizuo. "You can't steal a heart."

"But Sakuraya," Shitsuo began.

"Loves you," Izaya completed his sentence before he could continue.

His composure froze. "That's impossible."

Izaya shrugged. "Maybe it's time you asked him yourself."

He finally looked back down at the envelope when the other did not reply. Once he had sorted things out with the main household, they could figure out their own feelings. His considered his work here finished, except now there was the issue of the object in his hands. "How did you know it was addressed to me? It's blank."

Shitsuo averted his eyes. Izaya guessed by their reactions that they must have read the contents of whatever was inside.

"I sealed it," Aiko said. "We found it many years ago in my great-great-grandfather's trunk."

Izaya froze, feeling his fingers go numb. He had managed to compose himself earlier when he thought of Tsugaru, but he could feel the rush begin to devour him.

He had fancied the idea, but he never expected it to be true. If what she said was true, then these people were indeed that man's descendants. He took a step back, the envelope falling from his hands. He couldn't read it. He refused to read it. No apology would be enough for him to forgive that man.

Kawamoto's descendants, the legacy of the one who was responsible for Tsugaru's death, for all the pain he had experienced over these years, were here, in the very same room as him.

 _"_ _Nii-san,"_ he could hear Sakuraya's voice in his head, his dearest gentle brother. Sakuraya had fallen into the exact same trap as him, and it just had to be with these humans.

Izaya fought with himself for a moment, trying to reason his composure back to himself. He was here to help his little brother, not to exact revenge for Tsugaru. The people responsible for everything had long passed away. It was just him left in his world. Just him who had to suffer.

"Izaya?" Shitsuo inquired, his hazel eyes filled with concern.

Izaya felt the guilt pour over him for considering revenge for even a moment. The envelope lay at his feet. Kawamoto's face flashed across his memory.

_'I will never forgive you.'_

He ran before he could think any more.

"Izaya!" he could hear Shitsuo yelling after him.

He ran through the forest, the branches catching onto his arms and face as he broke through the thicket heading back to the main house. Izaya didn't want to think, didn't want to feel. He ran until his lungs were about to explode from the lack of air, which was a strange occurrence for a demon, but the use of the spell earlier helped with that.

He finally came upon a clearing with one of the old wells and leaned against the rotting wood, his claws crushing one of the beams. He let the tears flow freely onto the dirt, his frustration watering the weeds around his feet. A rustling of the leaves around him made him look up, not caring about the state he was in.

"Oh, Izaya-sama, what brings you out here?"

"Hibiki," he breathed as he wiped some of the tears away on his sleeve.

_"He referred to Sakuraya as his nephew."_

Izaya knew this did not bode well for him. He had been planning on how to deal with the situation, but it all went to dust the moment the letter had fallen from his hands.

Hibiki smiled, seemingly pleased with the situation as he moved closer. "It is nice weather out finally, given that it had been raining so much recently."

"Yeah, it is," Izaya agreed, trying to go through his options. His body was unresponsive, and he doubted his feet could send him into a sprint again. Any other day, a demon of the royal bloodline would be able to best all the others, but he admitted that the spell had really done a number on him these past years.

Hibiki was next to him now, and he attempted to stand up.

"So did your investigation go well?"

Izaya feigned a frown. "Not at all. I couldn't get anything out of them."

Hibiki smiled. "Well that is unfortunate. The spell must have been very taxing on your body."

Izaya understood now; Hibiki had waited until after he visited Aiko because he would have used the spell. He tried to run, but his legs screamed from the pain and instead he fell back to the ground.

Hibiki caught him in his descent, effortlessly bringing him to his feet. "I do not know why, but I am relieved to hear that she is alive. I did not expect human eyes to hold such power. It is truly something to be praised of a lesser existence."

"Huh?" Izaya didn't understand this change of mind, but the other continued as if he were trying to verify something.

"Yet, humans are so fragile. We keep saying that they would be the end of us someday." Hibiki's eyes met his. "I am conflicted, my dear prince. I want our people to thrive for millennia to come, without the taint of humans. Just look at what happened in the East."

"The East?" Izaya queried, but Hibiki ignored him, seeming to regain some of his confidence as he reminisced about something. He suddenly realized. _'Orihara-sama...'_

Hibiki's gaze met his, and he could see the regret lining the other's hard eyes.

"I apologize, Izaya-sama. I almost fell under the same spell as you." Izaya felt the arms under him tense. "I will not let Sakuraya go astray, I promise you," he whispered.

With those final words, Hibiki pushed Izaya into the well.


	22. Chapter 22

Izaya clawed for the surface, his lungs screaming for oxygen as his arms mercilessly burned from the exertion. He gasped for air when he finally surfaced, coughing violently as he grabbed a small crevice that had formed along the walls to keep him afloat. He heard a rumble, and the light above him disappeared, engulfing him in complete darkness. Hibiki must have covered the well with something heavy.

He stayed where he was for a few minutes to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness, feeling the bottomless water below him. Izaya blinked several times, peering for a built in ladder or some sizable cracks he could use as leverage.

He found none.

.

"Oh my, you startled me for a moment!" The servant bowed apologetically as she moved aside for Shinra, Celty, and Shizuo to enter. "You look just like Shitsuo-sama," she said to Shizuo, nodding animatedly to herself.

"Right," Shizuo muttered as he followed her, purposely falling behind Shinra and Celty to distance himself from the strange woman. He had been adamant about not getting dragged into Shinra's search for Izaya, but the fact that a demon had the guts to attack a harmless girl like Aiko really irritated him. If anything, he planned to give Izaya a good beating for allowing such a thing to happen. Yeah, that's why he was here, he told himself.

The servant led the three through the house to Aiko's room, stopping briefly at the door before turning to the visitors. "There was some commotion earlier with another guest, so please consider giving Aiko-sama something to soothe her. I worry that she would only worsen her injuries."

"Don't worry, we'll take care of her," Shinra replied.

The servant smiled brightly and excused herself, leaving them alone in the hallway. Shinra nodded to the others and knocked softly before sliding the shoji door open. The child inside looked up when the three of them entered, her gaze instantly settling on the new, yet familiar face.

"Mr. Ikebukuro?"

Shinra snorted at the nickname.

"It's Shizuo!" the Fortissimo of Ikebukuro growled.

Shinra covered his mouth, waving his hand in the air to signal defeat as Shizuo shook him for laughing. "Sorry sorry!"

 _"Did you meet Shizuo in the main city?"_ Celty asked Aiko, not bothering to break up the fight.

Aiko nodded as she smiled at the other two's antics. She didn't expect her saviors to know the tourist from Ikebukuro she had met the other day, nor did she expect him to care enough to visit her like this. It was a pleasant surprise on her part.

"So, did something happen?" Shinra asked, finally managing to hold his laughter. "We heard that there was some commotion earlier."

Shizuo noticed an envelope lying on the coffee table, a plain indistinct object that would have escaped his attention any other day. He picked it up after dropping Shinra, wondering just why it had caught his interest. _'Oh yeah, didn't she want to give a letter to Izaya?'_

"Were you going out to meet him when you got attacked?" he asked her.

Aiko shook her head. "I was planning to give that to his brother Sakuraya, but…" she trailed off, her smile disappearing.

" _She was attacked by another demon,"_ Celty finished for her.

Shizuo grimaced. "Sorry," he muttered. "I should have just given it to him for you myself."

"No! Please don't blame yourself!" Aiko insisted. "It was more than enough that you told me where to find him."

"But still..." Nevertheless, Shizuo knew he could have offered to deliver the letter. He would have been killing two birds with one stone: helping Shinra on his mission to find the flea and giving Aiko's message to Izaya. If he had just given in, then she wouldn't have gotten hurt. He turned the object in his hands. Just what was so important about this letter? Shizuo frowned and laid the envelope back down, wrinkling his nose when a familiar scent suddenly graced his nose. He knew what drew him to it now.

It smelled like the flea.

"Was he here?" he asked after a moment.

Aiko's eyes widened.

"So he was," Shizuo concluded.

He saw her hesitate for a moment before speaking. "Izaya came to visit me, but he… he ran off. Brother is searching for him right now," she explained as calmly as she could, but Shizuo could see the tears begin forming at the corners of her eyes. He bit his lip; he hated seeing people cry.

He remembered Izaya that night on the rooftop. Tears made him feel helpless, because he knew a monster like himself could never stop them. After so many years spent fighting the other, throwing street signs and vending machines, he had been rendered powerless by the sight of Izaya crying. Even the thought of it made him weak now; he could feel his heart constrict like someone was strangling it.

"So Izaya really is here!" Shinra exclaimed, breaking Shizuo's train of thought.

" _Isn't it dangerous for your brother to go into the forest alone?"_ Celty asked. After all, Aiko had just been attacked, and she doubted even a human male would be able to fend off a demon. She knew she would never let Shinra go off alone to search after knowing what had happened.

"Yes!" Aiko finally started crying, unable to hold in her frustration any longer. "I shouldn't have given Izaya that letter. Shitsuo promised me that he'll just look for a little while, so he should be back anytime now, unless… unless..." The effort made her cough, and she gasped for air as Shinra rushed over, opening his medicine box in search for something for her anxiety.

 _"He'll be okay,"_ Celty tried to comfort her, and Aiko nodded through the gasps as she tried to catch her breath.

"Here, take this." Shinra offered her a capsule, a cup of water in his other hand. Shizuo watched as the girl obediently took the medicine and downed the water with Shinra's help. He didn't know what to say to her, just like that that time on the rooftop. What would they do if the brother never returned?

As if to answer his question, he heard footsteps approaching, and the door suddenly slid open, revealing a man in a butler outfit.

Shinra had to look away to hide his chuckle.

' _We really do look alike,'_ Shizuo noted.

"Brother!" Aiko gasped, the relief reflected in her eyes.

Aiko's brother was sweating quite profusely under the outfit, and his breaths were a little ragged from all the running, but all this he brushed aside with the most learned composure as he gave them a short bow.

"I'm Shitsuo. Thank you for taking care of my sister." He straightened up and rushed to Aiko's side, lowering his voice. "I couldn't find him. I searched everywhere."

"It's dangerous to go into the forest alone right now, you know," Shinra finally spoke, having composed himself for the second time.

Shitsuo turned to him, hazel eyes wide. "You knew she was attacked?"

"Shinra and Celty were the ones who rescued me," Aiko explained before nodding to Shizuo. "I met Shizuo in Kyoto the other day. Remember, when I told you about your look-alike?"

"It's very striking," Shitsuo agreed.

"Anyway," Shizuo changed the subject, unable to take Shinra's snickering any longer, "so the flea… Izaya's somewhere in the forest?

Shitsuo nodded. "Izaya came to find out who attacked Aiko. He was fine until we brought up the letter. He became quite distraught and ran off." He sighed, scratching his head "I worry about his state of mind. If this demon was willing to attack Aiko, then…"

" _What's in the letter?"_ Celty asked when he trailed off.

"There's actually two letters in there," Shitsuo told her. "One from our great-great-grandfather, written right before his death, and one from a man named Yoichi." He crossed his arms, looking away. "We've both read it before; the contents weren't sealed when we found it."

"I just thought it was something Izaya should have," Aiko added. "The message is very…" She paused, unable to find the right word.

Shizuo looked back at the letter. He felt his stomach constrict when he realized he recognized the name from Tsugaru's memories. "Yoichi…" he muttered under his breath.

_"I have found a much better way to go, my dear friend."_

"Shizuo?" Shinra questioned, sensing the change.

"It's nothing," he replied. The doctor nodded knowingly to him before getting to work, checking the IV line attached to Aiko's arm. Shizuo could see her eyes already begin to droop from the medicine.

" _Where in the forest did you search?"_ Celty asked Shitsuo in the meantime.

"Just the usual meeting spots. I saw the tree..." he trailed off, clenching his fists. "I won't forgive whoever did this to her."

" _I'm sorry we didn't arrive sooner."_

Shitsuo shook his head. "It's not your fault. I'm just worried about Izaya now. He was using some sort of trick to hide his horns, but he almost collapsed while he was here. Even though Aiko's attacker was a demon like him, I don't know how well he could defend himself in that state."

"Izaya still hasn't recovered?" Shizuo interjected.

"Huh?" Shitsuo seemed confused. "Was he hurt?"

"He was shot six times in Ikebukuro."

Shitsuo frowned. "Your home is quite a dangerous place."

"He's the one hanging out with the wrong crowd," Shizuo growled. He eyed the letter again. Izaya had almost collapsed here. If there was truly a demon who hated humans so much, then what would they do to the flea, who had claimed he loved all of humanity? No, Izaya had admitted that he had been lying to himself about his love after all these years. But, the flea had attempted to help out these people, so wouldn't that make him a target?

"Did you tell him who attacked you?" Shizuo asked.

"He seemed to know when I told him," Aiko replied from the bed.

Shizuo grit his teeth. He didn't want to care; he had promised himself that he wouldn't care. And yet, he could feel his stomach sinking even more as he eyed the letter. The flea wasn't that stupid, right?

"Hey, I'm going to go look around," he told the others and briskly stepped out of the room before they could stop him.

" _Should I go with him?"_ Celty asked the others, but Shinra shook his head.

"If Aiko's attacker knows where she is, he might come back to finish the job." Shinra frowned, his eyes downcast. "Sorry, I can't fight."

"I'll go keep an eye on him," Shitsuo offered.

"That would be a great idea!" Shinra agreed.

.

Mamoru looked up from his post when he heard footsteps too heavy to be Izaya's usual quiet strides. He had expected his friend to have returned by now, knowing just how fast the prince worked as an informant. Instead, the one who had gotten Sakuraya into this mess stood above him.

"How is he doing?" Hibiki asked softly, motioning to Sakuraya's door.

"The same," Mamoru muttered. "I do not understand the need for this."

Hibiki's eyes narrowed; the other's lack of understanding confused him. "It is for his own good. We cannot afford to mix with humans like the Orihara clan has."

"You know, sometimes human interaction isn't all that bad," the red-haired demon told him.

He chuckled lightly. "I suppose you are allowed to say that, having hidden in their ranks for so long." He nodded at the shoji screen door. "May I talk to my nephew in private for a few minutes, Mamoru?"

"You know that's not allowed," Mamoru told him before moving aside.

"Thank you." Hibiki knocked lightly on the door. "Sakuraya? It's your uncle. May I come in?"

He gently slid open the shoji door when he heard no response and found himself looking into a dark room. Hibiki spotted his nephew lying on the tatami on the other side of the table with his back facing him.

"Sakuraya?" he called out, closing the door behind him. The light from the afternoon sun filtered through the paper door, illuminating some of the darkness.

He didn't understand Sakuraya's obsession with the humans he had made contact with. Hibiki planned to extinguish the curiosity right now before the flames burned out of control. He had already gotten rid of one of the core causes, and it was a matter of time before he finished the job. Soon, the demon world would be completely safe, untainted by the humans outside. "Listen, even you must understand why your mother is doing this. Humans are dangerous to our kind. Look at what they have done to your brother."

"Nii-san is fine the way he is. He is kind," Sakuraya replied as he finally stirred, sitting up slowly. "He is the only one who would listen to me, the only one who would so willingly go meet with the humans he despises so much, just for my sake."

This took Hibiki by surprise. "I do not understand how Izaya-sama could hate humans. He has been tainted with their presence for over a century now."

"You are wrong." The soft light reflected brightly off his eyes. Hibiki almost shivered when they made eye contact; his nephew was truly of the royal bloodline.

"If he had truly been tainted as you say, then he would have taken his rightful place as soon as he returned to us."

Hibiki scoffed, not expecting Sakuraya to disagree with him. He blamed Izaya for teaching his nephew such misleading thoughts, something a demon leader should never have. "That logic makes no sense. He could just be scheming, waiting until the time was right. It is something humans do all the time." It only validated his actions even more, he decided.

"Why do you insist on making a decision for me that is my mother's choice?" Sakuraya returned.

He gulped, not expecting the other to speak out so easily. Sakuraya, his dear quiet Sakuraya, had always listened so intently to his visions of greatness for the future of the demon clan. Had the mere four weeks with Izaya changed the child that much?

Sakuraya sighed when the other did not reply. "Humans are the ones who fight for power, not demons. Did you not teach me that before, Uncle?" he said quietly.

Hibiki hesitated as he felt those eyes bore into his, like Sakuraya knew what he had done. He reasoned that it wasn't like he had killed Izaya so that he himself could be the next heir. He only wished the best for his nephew, for the entire clan. Mingling with the humans can only bring them ruin like it had done to the East, and Izaya had been with them far too long. It was already too late for him.

"Of course I remember teaching you," he replied with renewed conviction. "I also taught you that it would be the end of us all if we were to fall into the humans' world. They fear our power. They would destroy every single one of us if they were to see what we were capable of. If that were not enough, then their barbaric ideals will destroy us. We cannot afford to have ourselves tainted by them."

"Then are you saying that because I have fallen in love with a human, I am no longer fit to live as a demon?" Sakuraya inquired, his voice soft.

Hibiki blinked. "That is not a good example, my dear nephew." This was all wrong. Perhaps Sakuraya was referring to Izaya, in which case his answer would have been an undeniable "yes." Even if his nephew wasn't bluffing, it must be just one of Izaya's tricks. After all, it wasn't entirely unbelievable to fall for the eyes he had seen.

Her spell had nearly overwhelmed him at the last moment. He remembered feeling her fragile neck under his fingers. Just a little more pressure, and he would have killed her.

He grimaced. A few more seconds, and he would have been free of her eyes forever, if not for those shadows that had suddenly saved the human child. He decided it must have been Izaya's doing. Izaya had casted the spell on him, on Sakuraya. "Such ideas brought from the outside are dangerous for the clan," he hissed.

Sakuraya seemed to read his thoughts. "Stop blaming my brother. I fell long ago, Uncle."

"That is impossible," Hibiki returned.

"You say it is impossible, because you have never experienced love."

Hibiki hesitated. "Never experienced love?" he repeated. That was preposterous. He loved his clan enough to give up his life for it. He loved his nephew enough to dirty his hands so that Sakuraya could lead them after Sakurako left this world. How could he not have experienced love?

He saw those brown eyes staring at him again, accusing him of his crimes.

"You speak as if we are superior to humans because we are logical, because everything we do is solely for the love of our kind." Sakuraya leaned back, crossing his arms. "But if it were not for love, then even I would not exist. Mother had no reason to bring me into this world when she knew that Nii-san was still alive and well in Edo. He would have returned eventually, and everyone would have continued on with their lives, without me." He sighed. "If everything we did were for the good of the demons, then I would not be here, having this conversation with you right now."

Hibiki didn't like hearing those words from his nephew. "Sakuraya, do not say that."

The prince did not let him continue. "I had been thinking of this for many years, Uncle, so I was prepared for the worse when Nii-san returned to us. Do not blame Izaya. It was love that kept Nii-san in Edo all these years, just like the love that gave me life."

"He was under a spell by the humans, tainted by their thoughts and their filth," Hibiki replied, feeling his resolve begin to weaken despite his words. "You are confused, my dear nephew."

Sakuraya smiled. "Well, think what you like. To me, Nii-san has been as pure as when he left this forest." He looked down at his hands. "If a war were to break out, and I had to dirty my hands, I would gladly stain them for him."

"Why would you defend him so?"

"Izaya is my brother, just as you are my uncle," Sakuraya replied simply. "And the humans, well, they are my dearest friends. They have done nothing to harm me these past ten years, and that is proof enough for me."

"Done so soon?" Mamoru as Hibiki rushed out.

The latter paid him no mind as he made his way to the other side of the complex, finally leaning against a wooden pole so that he could compose himself. Sakuraya's indignant gaze burned in his thoughts.

He remembered the expression Izaya had when he encountered the other at the well, the look of one who had suffered greatly for many years. He had paid it no mind; he had been so set on his mission. Only now he realized that he had been fighting to rid themselves of a misplaced threat.

Sakuraya was right. The tainted one was not Izaya.

It was himself, and he had become what he feared most without ever having interacted with the humans.

"What have I done?"


	23. Chapter 23

Izaya let out a long sigh, listening to the gentle splash of water against stone as he shifted his grip once again. He didn't know how long he had been down here. He could feel the cold begin to soak into his bones, and his frozen fingers ached from holding on to the crevice for so long. Not to mention, the use of the spell earlier did him no favors.

He closed his eyes to meditate. Perhaps Mamoru would find him eventually. His protector had supported him from the very beginning, even through all the mistakes he had made, all those foolish decisions, the baseless hopes he had persisted in following these past hundred years.

_"Even if he does return, he will not remember you. That is all that humans amount to."_

_Izaya remained where he was, his gaze fixated on the mound of disturbed earth under the sakura tree as a light spring breeze blew through the vast landscape of Edo that surrounded them. He hadn't expected the other to find him so quickly now that he had returned south from the strife up in Hakodate._

_"Come back with me," Mamoru continued when Izaya showed no signs of speaking. "You will never have to feel this kind of pain again."_

_The demon prince finally turned around, wiping his damp cheeks on a sleeve as he shook his head. "I've made my decision, Mamoru."_

_"You look horrible," the other commented after a moment._

_Izaya sighed, his eyes downcast. "Why try to convince me when you already know my answer?"_

_The other sighed, shaking his head. "You are stubborn as always, Izaya-sama."_

_"It's just the way I am," Izaya replied._

_"You really do take after your father." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll. "I will insist for you to take this then." Mamoru offered it to Izaya._

_"Huh?" Izaya blinked at the object, not believing his eyes._

_"I had been considering it for a while, and I believe now would be the best time," Mamoru explained, his stern gaze not leaving Izaya's._

_Izaya took the scroll and opened it, eyes still wide with surprise. "You'd really trust me with this? What about Mother?"_

_"It is a hard spell to perform," Mamoru told him, ignoring all the quite valid arguments Izaya had just presented him with. "While in human form, your powers are drastically limited, so…" he bowed his head, "please, be careful."_

_Izaya finally understood and nodded, a slight grin spreading through his features for the first time in weeks. "Who do you think I am?"_

" _Of course," Mamoru nodded._ _"Remember, we'll always be watching over you. Whenever you wish to return…"_

Izaya laughed out loud, the convoluted sound bouncing off the damp walls as he pushed the sliver of hope away as quickly as he had come to fancy it.

Mamoru was currently trapped at the main house guarding his brother, so the possibility of his long-time protector coming to his rescue was quite slim.

Izaya supposed he deserved this sort of punishment, shirking his duties for so many years. He had been so fixated on meeting Tsugaru again, that not once did he consider returning home once he had the spell at his disposal.

He remembered watching from the shadows of Edo as Japan began to modernize. He remembered the wars that swept through the cities, the fires that raged across the land when humans finally acquired explosives much larger than the cursed guns. He had performed the spell countless times and walked among them as a human, but all he saw was death, and the endless foolishness Yoichi had warned him about the human race.

Many years passed, and still Tsugaru never appeared.

He remembered waiting through the seasons: the thick searing summer that blanketed his aging forest house, the autumn leaves that fell like fire, the winter snow that froze his sandals in the morning when he forgot them outside, and the spring cherry blossom petals that fell mercilessly all around him, a constant reminder of that day.

.

Shitsuo followed the man running ahead of him breathlessly, forcing his limbs to work at their hardest as the two practically tore through the forest. He regretted his decision to not change into a more comfortable set of clothes immensely.

The search had begun as a simple walk in the forest, but Shizuo had broken into a sprint as they went deeper, his impatience obviously getting the better of him.

' _That man is inhuman!'_ Shitsuo thought as he urged his feet to go faster only to almost collide with Shizuo when the other suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" he asked, trying to catch his breath.

The other had a frown across his face.

"He's here."

.

Izaya took a deep breath. He felt light-headed and numb from the combination of the humidity and the cold death that surrounded him. The water had seemingly soaked through his fur-trimmed coat hours ago, and the garment continuously threatened to pull him down into the depths below. He breathed out slowly, resting his head against the cold stone as he wondered just how long he had to wait before the rock above moved or before the air ran out in his damp prison.

He didn't want to think, but the emptiness seemed to attract his memories like a siren to the men of the seas. He thought of how Tsugaru's eyes were like the ocean, a vast calming blue that loved him the most, that caressed everything their gaze touched. Izaya caught himself before he could recollect any further and instead tried to redirect his reminiscing.

He had met many people these past years, hadn't he? He had even gotten involved with the demons in the East, something he would have never considered possible prior to leaving Kyoto.

There were his two strange little "sisters," their mother who hated him for corrupting them, and of course their grandmother, the one who had so willingly taken him in when he asked her to show him the ropes of living in a human world. Izaya paused, contemplating his earlier conversation with Hibiki. The other had called Orihara "corrupted" by the humans, but the woman he knew was nothing of the sort. They had been on good terms until her husband passed away.

Izaya bit his lip, realizing only now how she must have felt, losing a human lover so easily to the world. She had placed herself in exactly the same situation he had found himself in.

Humans were really a despicable species, a trap that none escaped once one fell in. He wanted to curse himself for falling in love, but the words would not form in his mouth as he looked up at the darkness that captured him.

He would never regret meeting Tsuguru.

He could not deny that he had loved a human. He could not rebuff the fact that he had fallen straight into a trap that would clamp on his heart until it stopped beating, until he disappeared from this world.

He no longer loved humans. He couldn't after what they did to Tsugaru. That curse had almost made him kill the ones his own brother had cared about, and he couldn't forgive himself for almost succumbing to its call.

Izaya sighed, staring emptily at the path above him. The darkness reminded him of Celty, and of course he automatically associated her with the abnormality that claimed to have absolutely no interest in humans. Izaya chuckled despite himself at the thought. He guessed he did make an exception after being around them for so long.

How long had they known each other now?

" _Absolutely not," Izaya replied when the doctor-in-training asked if he could run a few "experiments" on his demon body, and Shinra laughed._

" _I'd figured you'd say that," Shinra replied. "Well, since you're very much human now, I'd be happy to assist you whenever you get injured. It'll be less taxing on you, right? If you heal up before I get to you, I can always slap on a band-aid to make it look more authentic."_

_Izaya stared at him incredulously. What incentive would a human child have to offer his medical skills to a demon such as him? His eyes narrowed but before he could speak his mind, Shinra continued._

" _I promise I won't secretly take your blood so that I could experiment on you."_

_Izaya studied the other for a moment, finding sincerity in the other's eager eyes. He finally laughed, something he hadn't done in a while now. "Fine then."_

Yet, he had left Shinra in Ikebukuro without even a glance back, left his only friend in the human world that had been with him since the beginning of his troubles with the monster that called itself Shizuo.

Izaya grimaced, his cold fingers tightening on the crevice as the memories of his love washed over him like a wave.

There was no stopping the tsunami once it came.

He remembered the moment his wish came true, just a little while after he had befriended Shinra. He had smiled, hadn't he? Then the roaring beast had come charging, and his own composure had shattered into a million pieces. Before he knew it, the knife he had kept close to him for self defense in lieu of his own claws was in his hand, blood dripping down its blade.

He knew he should have given up then. He should have realized.

Shizuo was not Tsugaru. Shizuo had absolutely no connection to Izaya other than the possibility that he had Tsugaru's soul. Yet, Izaya had insisted on continuing on with his false hope that Shizuo would turn out to be exactly like Tsugaru only for everything to turn into a convoluted game of cat and mouse when his anger got the better of him.

Izaya supposed he did what he did because he wanted revenge, vengeance on those who had taken Tsugaru away from him. Of course the samurai must have known this would happen, so their last promise entrapped him and kept his sanity in check until the day he met that monster that called itself a human. It was ironic that the one he had loved so much had decided to come back to test his resolve, and he had failed spectacularly.

Shizuo's soft voice that night played back in head.

_"I relieve you of your promise."_

He felt his stomach clench, and he doubled up in the water, feeling his vision begin to cloud as the sensation became nearly unbearable.

He recognized this feeling, this hole that threatened to tear him in half.

It was regret.

.

"What the hell?" Shizuo looked around the clearing, frowning. He saw no signs of the flea, but he swore Izaya was here, somewhere in this area. He had looked everywhere already but found only empty trees and the quiet forest.

Shitsuo had gone on ahead a little further to check that area, but Shizuo knew for sure Izaya was here, in this exact spot.

The flea's scent was so strong that he could nearly choke on it.

"Where could that damned flea be?"

He leaned against a rather huge rock that had been moved over an old well to think, taking a deep breath as he reached into his pockets for his pack of cigarettes. His fingers found nothing but lint, and he cursed, realizing he had left it back at the hotel.

Shizuo closed his eyes, trying to tear his mind away from the nicotine cravings as he listened to the tranquil forest around him. What the hell was he going to do if he did find the flea anyway? He supposed he could always drag Izaya back to Aiko's house and let everyone deal with him there. Everything would be resolved: Shinra would get his wish, Aiko could deliver the letter, and he himself would wash his hands of the flea forever.

That would be it, right?

Shizuo paused.

He recalled those expressive blood red eyes from that night, suddenly realizing he had seen them before, briefly, long ago. He knew it wasn't from Tsugaru's memories, but he could not seem to bring up the recollection as he tapped his foot impatiently, trying to think. When had it been?

They had known each other since their days in Raijin Academy. The flea's smile had irritated him, so he decided to throw a punch at it. He also clearly remembered how Izaya had escaped and slashed him for the first time with that damned switchblade.

 _'Oh yeah...'_ He remembered now. It was at that moment, right when the switchblade appeared in the flea's hand, he had seen a flash of red in the other's eyes.

He wondered what would have happened if Izaya had transformed back that day.

Then they wouldn't be in this predicament, would they?

Shizuo sighed, closing his eyes as he tried to calm his raging thoughts. He tried to listen to the soft breeze blowing through the trees when his keen ears detected the faintest misplaced sound on this bright summer day. Had Shitsuo already returned? He was about to move when he suddenly realized that he recognized that sound.

It was a sob.

Shizuo turned around and looked at the rock.

_'No way...'_

.

Izaya shifted his grip again as he let out a long shaky breath, unable to stop the tears once they started falling.

' _What have I been doing all this time?'_

How could a demon have fallen in love with something as fleeting as a human? And, like a naive child, he had waited over a century in the human world to meet Tsugaru again, dragging so many with him in his despair that he eventually lost sight of what was most important.

The one he loved was gone, and only a ghost remained, a human that looked exactly like the one he lost. But, Shizuo was not Tsugaru, and he had unjustly tortured the other for all these years in his anger.

It was laughable, yet he could not bring himself to smile.

Then, Shizuo had saved him.

He did not deserve that from the one man he had tormented since the moment they met. He had tried to blame everything on him, to take everything away from that man, but Shizuo had still saved him with those simple words.

It was ironic that Tsugaru would come back as a monster that was more human than he would ever be.

Izaya sighed. He was tired. His demon body had finally caught up to his heart, and he let his limbs rest, allowing the darkness to swallow him whole. The water slowly surrounded him like a blanket as he closed his eyes.

' _This is how it should be.'_

"Izaya!" He opened his eyes just after he felt his face slip below and saw light pour into the water in little streaks as he sank to the bottom. He smiled, letting out his final breath. He watched as the bubbles floated upward to the surface, to where life was. He belonged down here, in the darkness and death that had surrounded him ever since Tsugaru died.

Something dived into the pool of light above him, sending a wave of bubbles in the water, and he saw it coming for him: an outstretched hand. Tsugaru had come for him. He took the hand and held it close, closing his eyes. He was finally home.


	24. Chapter 24

_'Fuck!'_ Shizuo gave a powerful kick, dragging the mass of fur behind him by the arm as he propelled the two of them up. He broke the surface and took a breath of much needed air as he repositioned his arm around Izaya, hoisting the other's head above the water. The flea remained unresponsive, eyes closed almost peacefully, his cold body still as the stone that surrounded them. Shizuo eyed a prominent crack in the wall and floated the both of them over to it, grabbing on to keep them afloat.

"Hey, wake up!" Shizuo yelled, giving Izaya a shake. The informant's head flopped lifelessly to the side like a rag doll.

"Izaya!" he tried again, feeling the panic start to set in.

He would have never imagined finding the informant here of all places. If he hadn't seen the bubbles, he would have second guessed himself earlier when he saw the flea disappear into the darkness. Luckily, that also meant Izaya couldn't have gone under too long ago.

"Izaya?" The informant's lips were starting to turn blue. "Tch," Shizuo made a split second decision before taking a deep breath and encasing the other's lips with his own.

He breathed out.

He decided he would kill the flea later, after everything had been settled.

The maneuver worked, and Izaya's eyes fluttered open as he suddenly grabbed onto Shizuo for support, coughing violently. He looked around wildly at the surrounding walls, the sky, and then finally back at Shizuo, his blood red eyes wide with confusion.

Izaya raised a trembling hand to his savior's face and felt the soft skin beneath his fingertips, a testament to the life that still flowed through his veins.

"Shizuo?" Izaya finally managed, evidently having recognized the brown eyes. "H-how?" he stuttered.

Shizuo saw tears line those blood red eyes, and it took all he had to not look away.

"Fuck if I know," Shizuo replied, thankful that the flea hadn't made fun of him for the "kiss." He could feel his own cheeks heat up and attempted to reason that he had merely given the other air. Yup, that was exactly what he had done.

Izaya let his hand drop back down to the water, and Shizuo took the chance to turn his thoughts to their current situation as he looked up at the clear sky above.

"We're stuck in here aren't we?" he commented. If Izaya, a demon with supposedly monstrous power, couldn't get out, then they were really in a bind.

"Sorry," Izaya muttered a little too complacently for Shizuo's liking.

"Hey, keep it together!" Shizuo grit his teeth as he tried to think this through. He wanted to smack some sense into Izaya, since thinking was the flea's job, not his. Not to mention, Izaya was not lifting a finger to help the two of them stay afloat. It wasn't like Shizuo needed any assistance, but he expected Izaya to aid him at least a little now that he was awake again.

Just a month ago, he would have never imagined that they could be so close to each other without him throwing a street sign or vending machine. Izaya would have taken off after a stinging provocation, and they would have left the city in ruins after one of their chases.

Now they were both trapped in a well, because he had jumped in without a moment's hesitation after seeing Izaya sink below the surface.

It was baffling.

The current Izaya stared listlessly at the wall opposite them, his breathing still shallow after coughing out most of the water. Shizuo felt his own chest clench, just like it had back on that rooftop. The other was in much worse shape than he had expected.

Shizuo grimaced, looking once again at the sky outside when an idea suddenly hit him. He may not be able to climb out, but there was another one of his abilities he could use to their advantage.

"I could throw you out," he offered.

Izaya finally snapped out of his trance, seemingly incredulous that Shizuo was able to even come up with a plan.

"That's a wonderful idea, but did you see a rope outside?" Izaya asked, feeling his barriers go straight back up now that he was faced with the one man he had wanted to escape from.

Shizuo decided that he really wanted to punch Izaya after all, but he knew the flea really did bring up a good point. Also, despite the sarcasm, there was actually absolutely no hint of a smile on the other's face. He had assumed everything as quickly as he had jumped into the well.

He hesitated, trying not to let his anger show in his answer. "No..."

Izaya sighed, and Shizuo could detect the tiredness in other's voice despite the familiar condescending words. "You didn't look, did you? You haven't changed at all, Shizu-chan."

"Shut up," Shizuo snapped, although the familiar sound of his nickname did reassure him a little. He supposed he couldn't have it all at once.

The flea seemed to contemplate something for a moment before continuing his onslaught.

"It's okay, even if you did throw me, you'd probably die in here."

Shizuo very much wanted to head-butt the other, but he managed to hold himself back last minute. He was really beginning to regret jumping in so quickly to save this irritable man.

Izaya chuckled at the other's reaction. "You've changed, Shizu-chan." He sighed, trying to calm his thoughts. He knew it was irrational to irritate the other, but the force of habit was difficult to break. He took a deep breath. "To clarify what I just said, it isn't that I wouldn't save you. I just don't think I can get very far."

Shizuo looked down at the demon, feeling just a little guilty for his prior thoughts when the realization hit him. "Just how long were you in here?"

Izaya shrugged, his movements sluggish. "I don't know. My step-uncle closed the well after he pushed me in." He lowered his gaze. "You shouldn't be here," he muttered.

"Hey I made the decision to jump in without thinking, so stop blaming yourself!" Shizuo snapped, unable to control his own frustration.

However, all of their worries were washed away when a shadow from above made them look up.

"Shizuo?" Shitsuo called out. "And Izaya? Are you okay?" Izaya opened his mouth in surprise and hesitated before looking away, weakly bringing up a hand to clench at his water-soaked shirt.

Shizuo held him tighter, afraid that the flea would slip out of his grasp back into the water. Even he could tell there was something wrong. "He's not doing well! Can you get us out?"

"Hang on! Let me find something you can grab onto!" Shitsuo yelled back.

Shitsuo frowned, wondering if he would have to run back to the main house to fetch a rope. The well was old and rotted, and any bucket that used to be here had been long gone. A rustle made him jump, ready to fight.

"Who's there?" he asked.

"What's going on out there?" Shizuo yelled.

Izaya seemed to come to life again as he weakly clenched the other's shirt. "Hey, I'll throw you out," he whispered.

"Didn't you say you didn't have energy left?"

"But if Hibiki comes back, then Shitsuo…" He knew his declaration was impossible, but he would rip his body apart if he had to if it meant he would be able to protect the other. He had nearly wronged them once, and he couldn't bear the thought of Sakuraya suffering because of his own mistake.

Izaya tensed when he felt the pain shoot through his muscles like knives. He grimaced. Even his own body was against him.

"Hey, calm down," Shizuo reassured him. "It'll be okay."

"I found a rope!" Shitsuo declared from above as if he had heard Shizuo's words.

.

Hibiki reached the edge of the barrier, finally slowing to a walk as he took the first step up the familiar stairs.

It was over.

The humans had beaten him to his chance of salvation.

He wanted to laugh at it all.

The very humans he had been so adamantly scoffing all these centuries were saving a demon from another demon.

He considered running, banishing himself to someplace far away to escape the impending doom he faced, but his legs continued to take him up the stairs. He thought of his nephew, dear Sakuraya.

Hibiki grit his teeth and continued his journey.

He would see this to the end, like a demon should.

.

Izaya felt his legs give way as soon as they touched the solid earth, and he went down, expecting to hit the ground gracelessly when an arm caught him.

"Sorry," he muttered again, unwilling to look up at the two humans who saved him. Shizuo led him to sit on the wooden edge of the well, taking care that he did not fall in again.

"You're freezing," Shitsuo muttered softly as he covered Izaya with his jacket. "Let's hurry back to the house."

Izaya suddenly thought of the letter, the cursed paper he had left back at the Kawamoto household. Even now he could feel the emotions boil, seemingly igniting his life once again as he shook his head no. "I can't go back, not now." He bowed his head. "Please..." He was not ready. Izaya couldn't stop the onslaught of self-loathing and anger that had come back to him like a wave, and he leaned against Shizuo helplessly, unable to run anymore.

"Where do you want to go then?" he heard Shizuo ask. He looked up, not believing his worst enemy would comply with his selfish demand so easily.

Izaya thought for a moment. Where could he go? Home was out of the question; he would be leading the other two straight to their deaths, and he did not think he could make it up the stairs in one piece once they had left him at the barrier. The rope they used to escape from the well caught the edge of his vision, and he looked at it while he ran through scenarios slowly in his head. There was something strange about that rope.

It was far too new to belong to this well, and he knew he saw the weave pattern from somewhere before.

Where had Shitsuo gotten it?

"Home..." he gasped.

"Are you mad?" Shizuo exclaimed. "What about your uncle?"

"I think it'll be okay," Izaya contemplated before looking at Shitsuo. He felt his heart still clench a little; he had almost killed this man. "Sakuraya will be there too. He wouldn't let anything happen."

Shitsuo looked taken aback, and he glanced at Shizuo for clarification. "Is it alright?"

Shizuo sighed. If anything, he would just have to punch through whatever got in their way. Demons may be strong, but he was fairly confident that he could buy them some time if he really wanted to.

"Yeah," he agreed as he lifted the informant.

"H-hey!" Izaya protested, but his arms would not listen to him.

"No way I'm letting you walk. We'll be out here through the night!" he growled as he adjusted his grip. "Which way?"

Izaya closed his mouth, lost for words, and pointed into the forest.

Shizuo started at a reasonably brisk pace. Izaya could feel himself moving through the trees, the usually gentle breeze cutting into his skin whenever it blew. He could no longer feel his fingers or his legs for that matter, and he was beginning to regret his decision as they moved up the hidden path. His savior seemed to sense the change, and Shizuo quickened his steps as they moved deeper into the forest.

Izaya could hear the quick thumping of the other's heart, and the little warmth that he felt through their water-soaked clothing was comforting. He found himself slipping in and out of consciousness as they continued on, and he managed to lead Shizuo through the last complicated turn.

The sensation was far too strong, and Izaya finally closed his eyes, deciding to leave his life in the hands of fate now that it had come back to save him. They would make it through the barrier somehow. If it was Shizuo, anything was possible.

After all, it was Shizuo who found him.

Shizuo could feel the cold skin of the one in his arms through the jackets, and he began to feel a little apprehensive, seeing nothing but endless forest no matter how far they went. He regretted not just forcibly dragging the flea back to the Kawamoto household when a flight of stairs suddenly appeared before him.

"Shizuo, where are you?"

"Eh?" He turned to see Shitsuo looking around the area behind him, seemingly confused. "What's going on, Izaya?" The informant did not respond, his breaths shaky as he slept on. Shizuo grit his teeth and hurried back down.

"Oh! That's strange indeed," Shitsuo commented when the other got closer.

"What's wrong?"

"You suddenly reappeared out of nowhere. It must be a barrier of some sort."

"Well we don't have time!" Shizuo grabbed the other's arm and yanked, feeling a strange shockwave around them as Shitsuo stumbled onto the first step. Seeing the success of his efforts, Shizuo nodded at the other and began his ascent up the stairs at a run.

 _'That's strange. This was not here_ before,' Shitsuo thought as he followed.

Shizuo panted as he took step after step, the stairs as endless as the forest. The one in his arms seemed not to notice any of his efforts and slept on almost too peacefully. He wasn't a doctor like Shinra, but he knew he had to hurry. He still couldn't believe what was happening as he rushed up the stairs to save the life of his once mortal enemy.

But, he wanted to see those blood red eyes again.

He spotted a demon at the top of the steps staring at the intruders with an indiscernible expression on his face. Shizuo prepared himself for the worse, wondering if he could somehow get Izaya to the main house. There was only one traitor, right?

"I do not believe it," the stranger muttered as they approached. "How did you humans pass the barrier? I thought you were supposed to take Izaya-sama back to your home."

"It was his decision to come here, now let us pass," Shizuo growled to him as he tried to move past.

The demon grabbed his wrist, and Shizuo could feel the suppressed power in the vice-grip. "I will take my nephew from here. I might have been mistaken in my decisions, but I still cannot let a human onto the grounds."

Shizuo glared at him, realizing that this man was the cause of everything. He swung the arm off pointedly. "I won't ever let you hurt him again," he growled.

Those words seemed to shock him, and the demon hesitantly stepped aside.

"My sincerest apologies, Izaya-sama. I was wrong," he muttered as the two ran past to the main house. He could feel his wrist ache just the slightest where the human had shrugged it off.


	25. Chapter 25

Shizuo burst through the wooden gates of the compound, sprinting across the vast courtyard before he reached the entrance. He threw the door open, stopping just short of snapping the wooden structure off its frame as he stepped onto the tatami mats.

"Hey Izaya, we're here," he muttered to the one in his arms, but Izaya slept on, the slight rise and fall of his chest the only indication of the life that still flowed through him. Shizuo heard hurried footsteps from deeper inside the complex, and the inner doors slid open to reveal a beautiful female demon, her red eyes widening when she saw the two humans and their unconscious companion dripping water all over the tatami mats.

Shizuo braced himself for the possible confrontation, but the woman ignored everything else and ran straight to Izaya, placing a clawed hand on the demon's forehead gingerly. She let out a sigh of relief when she heard Izaya's faint breaths.

"Sakurako-sama?" another joined her, and this time Shizuo recognized the red haired demon from back in Ikebukuro.

Mamoru didn't have time to be surprised as the one called Sakurako motioned for him to hurry. "Change his clothes and start the fire."

"Yes, Sakurako-sama," Mamoru replied before turning his attention to Shizuo. "Please follow me, Heiwajima-sama."

The one called Sakurako jerked slightly when Mamoru mentioned the human's name, but she made no motion to stop them as they ran past her and disappeared with Izaya into the hallway. She looked after them contemplatively before turning to Shitsuo, who immediately began to wonder if the best course of action might have been to follow the other two after all. He could feel himself shrink under her intense gaze even though he knew her anger was directed elsewhere.

"Who did this to my son?" she asked him, her blood red eyes boring holes into him. She resembled Sakuraya greatly, and he would have thought they were twins if not for her eyes.

Shitsuo hesitated, not knowing if his answer would only anger her more. He supposed it was a good sign that she had not immediately blamed any humans first. "I am not completely certain," he began carefully. "Shizuo found him inside one of the old wells in the forest. He jumped in after Izaya, and I was fortunate enough to find some rope nearby to pull them both out."

"That other one jumped in?" She placed a hand up to her chin contemplatively, seemingly taken aback by the revelation.

Shitsuo nodded.

"Of course, I cannot imagine one of you humans pushing Izaya in," Sakurako muttered.

This in turn caught Shitsuo by surprise. "Why is that?" he questioned despite his common sense screaming at him to not say anything that would shift blame to himself or Shizuo.

"I can tell by the way that the other one was holding him," she replied simply.

Shitsuo decided not to press any further. Despite her appearance, he assumed that Sakurako had been alive for a number of years, and although the other demons most likely did not have many encounters with humans, they themselves had a variety of personalities to deal with too.

Sakurako sighed, massaging her forehead as Shitsuo tried to think of a way to reassure her. He could barely remember his own journey back into Kyoto after he heard about Aiko's attack after all. He could relate to what the woman in front of him was feeling now, knowing one of her relatives had nearly died.

"Izaya will be fine," he offered, although he did not believe the statement fully himself.

She finally chuckled, her features softening. "I do appreciate your words," she told him. "I know he will be fine, since demons are a strong species. Although, it is troubling that someone managed to overpower my son."

Shitsuo found himself gaping at her. "Izaya's your son?"

She seemed confused. "Of course he is. Do we not look alike?"

"Ah, strikingly so," Shitsuo agreed, attempting not to dig himself into a deeper hole.

Sakurako seemed not to notice as she continued. "Also, it is not that I do not appreciate you bringing my son here, but it is very strange that you two somehow went through the barrier. I am quite astounded that a human would be able to get past it."

"Perhaps it was because Izaya was with us?" Shitsuo offered.

Sakurako shook her head. "If the barrier had been working correctly, then he would have been taken away from you as soon as you passed it, and you would have been left alone outside without him."

"Ah," Shitsuo thought for a moment. "Shizuo went past it without a problem, and he pulled me in when I was trapped outside. If anything, I would say he didn't notice it at all."

"Is that so?" Sakurako frowned. "He is quite the human then."

They heard someone running through the hallways towards them, the footsteps intensifying as they approached them.

"Mother! What happened to Nii-san?" a new voice called out as its owner turned the corner and entered the room, moving so fast he nearly slipped on the wooden floor in the veranda outside. He paused when he realized that his mother was not alone.

"S-Shitsuo?" Sakuraya blurted before he could control himself, covering his mouth in surprise. Shitsuo managed to control his urge to run forward, but he knew it was already too late.

The two of them stared awkwardly at each other for a moment before Sakurako broke the silence. "So you were one of the humans my son was meeting."

Sakuraya faltered, his barriers crumbling, and he suddenly fell to his knees to the surprise of the other two.

"Sakuraya!" Shitsuo called out, running over to him before Sakurako could react.

However, the demon prince only shoved away his hand and prostrated himself on the ground. "I am so sorry for what happened to Aiko," he finally choked out, his voice quivering. "I-I couldn't do anything!"

Shitsuo knelt down in front of him, raising him gently. "Please stop. It's not your fault." He wiped some of the tears away, cupping Sakuraya's face in his hand. He missed seeing those bright eyes, and he could feel his stomach clench at the sight of them filled with so much despair.

"If only I came sooner..."

"She's safe now. You saved her," Shitsuo reassured him. "Don't blame yourself like that. You're not the one who attacked her."

"So it's true..." Sakurako muttered, prompting the two of them to look up. She shifted uncomfortably at her son's tear-stained face. "Forgive me."

Sakuraya shook his head. "Izaya told me you were only trying to protect me."

"Is that why he left the compound this morning, so he could investigate what happened?" she asked.

"Yes, he came to visit my younger sister this morning," Shitsuo answered. "He was already looking a little pale during that time."

"It was much too early for him to be using the spell again." Sakurako clenched her fists, her lips quivering with anger. "That would explain how he was so easily overcome."

Sakuraya gasped. "It is true, then. Someone attacked Izaya," he muttered, eyes downcast as he wiped some of the tears away.

Shitsuo held the young demon's shoulders firmly. "Listen, it's not your fault."

Sakuraya nodded, unable to speak at the moment.

The demon queen watched the exchange contemplatively as the human turned back to her. She thanked the stars that she had been correct in her initial reaction to not lash out at them.

"I can see I was wrong in my presumptions," she muttered.

"Mother?"

She bowed to Shitsuo in front of her son, apologizing the only way she could at the moment for not believing him.

"Thank you for saving Izaya."

.

_He was walking through a thick fog, the smell of death suffocating him as he continued on aimlessly, letting his feet guide him to whatever destination they led him._

_He could feel the cold biting into his fingertips, his toes, and through his clothes straight into his chest where his heart continued to beat._

_He saw a flash of blue through the fog, and an ocean appeared before him, stretching across the horizon. Izaya continued on, feeling the cold intensify as the water rose to his hips, and then his neck, threatening to swallow him whole._

" _Tsugaru…" he whispered, and as if this barren world existed to torment him, his lover appeared before him, just out of reach. Just a few steps more, and he would be with Tsugaru. He waded forward and the water rose up to his mouth._

" _Tsugaru!" he tried to call out, but his voice was lost in the ocean. He reached out a hand and prepared himself for the eternal plunge when his lover smiled, the same smile he had missed for so long._

_Tsugaru pointed to something behind him, and Izaya hesitated. The samurai shook his head when Izaya tried to take another step and motioned to the land behind him again._

" _I want to be with you!" Izaya tried to explain, but his feet had stopped listening to him and he found himself unable to move forward, the water still threatening to cover his nose and extinguish his life._

_A wave pushed him over but something grabbed his wrist from behind, pulling him away from his beloved._

" _Tsugaru!" he yelled out desperately, but the hand would not let him go._

_Tsugaru shook his head._

" _It's not your time yet," Izaya heard his past lover's voice around him like a caress as the fog cleared up, revealing a bright sky._

_He was on land again, the warm sand blanketing the top of his feet._

Izaya opened his eyes slowly, the soft crackle of a fire greeting him as a familiar ceiling came into view. He could still feel the remnants of the cold throughout his body, although he noticed that his right wrist felt unusually warm. Izaya turned his head weakly to the side, finding his arm caught in a vice grip by none other than Shizuo.

The other had somehow fallen asleep while sitting up, and his gruff exterior combined with the yukata he was wearing and messy hair made him look awfully vulnerable. Izaya tried to still his surprise, but Shizuo had already begun to stir from the slight motion. Warm brown eyes met his.

"Hey, Shizu-chan," Izaya greeted him, a soft smile spreading curiously across his tired features.

"Hey yourself," Shizuo muttered, letting go of the other's arm. He rubbed his eyes, not noticing what he had been doing when he fell asleep.

"How long have I been asleep?" Izaya asked him, bringing his now exposed arm under the blankets to warm it.

"Since yesterday," the other replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible," Izaya answered as he suddenly remembered the dream. He wanted to drift back into oblivion, but that was not happening now that he had finally fully awakened. Everything came back to him at once: the well, the blurred memories of him being carried through the forest by the one man he hated most. He didn't understand any of this. "Why would you go so far to save me?"

Shizuo hesitated, not really understanding the reason himself. "If you died, Shinra would have thrown a fit," he opted for a cop-out answer.

Izaya blinked. "Shinra's here?"

"Yeah, you can thank him for dragging me out here or your sorry ass would've drowned."

Izaya laughed lightly. "How ironic." He became quiet, and this seemed to unsettle Shizuo as the other shifted uncomfortably, not used to Izaya not throwing off mocking remarks left and right at him.

"Are you okay?" Shizuo couldn't stop himself from asking.

Izaya sighed, closing his eyes. "I just happened to have had a lot of time to think. Being stuck in a well for a few hours in freezing water does that to you, Shizu-chan."

Shizuo frowned.

"I waited so long before I met you. So long…" He raised a hand weakly to the ceiling, grasping at an invisible hand as he contemplated what exactly he wanted to say to Shizuo. The one who took his hand so long ago was gone now, and he wondered if he would ever get used to this emptiness. If Tsugaru would not let him be at his side, then what was he to do? All he had left in this world was a human monster who resembled Tsugaru, who had saved him even though everything he had done up until now was to torment the other.

"You know, everything was normal until you appeared," he commented.

"It's hard to picture your definition of normal," Shizuo growled.

"I loved humans," Izaya explained, smiling airily. "I didn't try to interact with them any more than I did before, and I was…" he hesitated, "still waiting, patiently."

"So now you're blaming me?"

Izaya thought for a moment before finally meeting Shizuo's gaze. "Well, imagine finding the one you've been waiting for all this time only to have him throw a punch at you."

Shizuo remembered those same red eyes from that day, so long ago during their time at Raijin, those eyes that had been ingrained into his memory these past few days and weeks since Izaya returned to Kyoto.

"Sorry," Shizuo muttered, looking away.

"And..." Izaya stopped, the weight of his archenemy's firm declaration slowly sinking in. He smiled to himself. It was all so simple now. Why had things gotten so convoluted these past years?

"Same here," he replied.

"Huh?" Shizuo seemed taken aback.

"I'm apologizing to you too, protozoan," Izaya reiterated. "I may have overreacted a little back then."

"That's quite an understatement," Shizuo muttered, frowning. "And stop calling me a protozoan."

"Would you stop calling me a flea then?"

"I can't guarantee you that," Shizuo replied.

"Knew it." Izaya smiled. He'd never expect that he would be able to hold such a normal conversation with Shizuo. It was strange indeed.

Shizuo suddenly thought of the letter back at the Kawamoto household, the cause of their current predicament. "So what happened back at Aiko's place? They told me you just suddenly ran out, and then you had to go get yourself thrown in a well."

Izaya looked away, biting his lip. He didn't want to think about it yet, and he had already began shrinking away, pushing it to the back of his mind. He didn't want to think. He wanted to be empty.

"Izaya?" Shizuo's voice brought him back from his thoughts.

"Sorry, I can't," he whispered.

"Hey, I saved you, so you at least owe me that much," the other growled.

Izaya frowned, not expecting Shizuo to press so much. He hesitated, taking a deep breath to quell the raging ocean in his heart. "I was angry."

"Yeah?"

"I couldn't control my own actions, so I ran before I could make any mistakes." The memory really stung him as he allowed it to come back to him. His anger was like a knife that had dug itself into his ribs, threatening to tear the life out of him. "It was quite terrifying, losing control like that."

"You lost control?" Shizuo still found it hard to imagine someone like the calculating flea losing hold on his own actions.

Izaya looked a little amused at his reaction. "Isn't Shizu-chan quite familiar with that?"

"Shut up, we're talking about you."

The demon grinned. "Yes, we are."

"Why did you lose control?" Shizuo decided to press on, curiosity getting the best of him. He wanted to know just what had gotten the flea so riled up, what was still tying him down to the past. He still didn't understand why he cared so much, but he decided to just go with it since he had gone this far.

Izaya did not share the same sentiments and instead shrugged it off. "Stuff."

"The letter?" he played the trump card.

Izaya gasped. "How did you…"

"Aiko and Shitsuo told me." Shizuo explained.

"Ah…"

"Why are you so afraid of it?"

"I don't want to read it." Izaya paused and rephrased his words. "No, I don't think I'm ready to read it."

"It's been over a century now."

Izaya paused, suddenly remembering that Shizuo did have fragments of Tsugaru's memory. He wondered if that was why the other was pressing him to read the damn letter so much. "I'm scared that I will forgive him," he whispered after a moment.

"You forgave me," Shizuo offered.

"It's different," Izaya retorted.

 _'You're the one who forgave me first,'_ he thought as he turned to look into Shizuo's eyes. They were unmistakably brown, soft, fiery, warm. Calm. When had they become so calm?

"It's going to bother you until you read it, you know," Shizuo's words snapped him out of his reverie.

"Yeah…" He sighed. "I just can't take that first step." He chuckled. "So ironic. Humans have such little time in their lives, yet they accomplish so much."

Shizuo, a human who had lived a mere two decades, had already done something he couldn't bring himself to confront after over a century. He knew it was immature of him to stay so fixated on the past like this, but every time he thought of Tsugaru, he would lose all of the rationality he had built up over the course of his long demon life.

His chuckle turned into a full-blown guffaw as the reality of everything hit him. He had allowed this to happen to him by falling in love.

"Humans are truly amazing."

He had lost completely to them.

.

Mamoru headed for Izaya's room with some warm food and a change of clothes when he saw Shitsuo and his young master Sakuraya sitting on the veranda staring quietly at the garden, the soft periodic tap of bamboo on rock the only sound that played in the tranquil scene. He hesitated and opted to take the longer route.

To be truthful, he had nearly completely missed Sakuraya's excursions to the outside world, and he found it ironic that everything seemed to play out the same way it had done before. His grip on the tray tightened, but he caught himself before he broke the wood. He vowed to not let things turn out the same way.

Although, he supposed that everything was okay now with Sakuraya, given that Shitsuo had safely made it inside into their world. He had a strong suspicion of who was the culprit responsible for this entire fiasco, but he opted to keep quiet for now, knowing such an accusation would drive the others into a frenzy. He was certain that Sakurako knew also, giving how she had been eyeing that particular demon the past day.

He was surprised the other would still dare stay, but he supposed that if that man ran, then his guilt would be proven.

Mamoru sighed. The most he could do now was wait and keep his guests and Izaya safe.

Shizuo exited Izaya's room as he approached. The human closed the door shut behind him, nodding to Mamoru. Humans never ceased to surprise him, and Shizuo was an exceptional example. He couldn't thank the other enough for what he did.

"Izaya's awake now, so I'm going to go back for a bit," Shizuo told him in a low voice when he got closer. "Forgot something important back in Kyoto. Don't tell Shitsuo or Izaya. I don't know if Shitsuo can get back in after he leaves, and Izaya..." He paused. "Just don't let him know."

"Will it be quick?"

Shizuo nodded. "Yeah, and I have to tell Shinra and Celty what's going on. They must be worried sick by now."

"Ah, that is true," Mamoru agreed. "Please be careful." He looked around. "I fear that the enemy may act at any time."

To his surprise, Shizuo shrugged him off. "I highly doubt it."

Mamoru watched in awe as the other disappeared around the corner.


	26. Chapter 26

"You sure took your time," Izaya commented as Hibiki carefully slid the door closed behind him.

The older demon stepped lightly across the tatami to his prince before sitting in seiza, positioning himself at eye level with Izaya. "Why didn't you tell them?" he asked in a low voice.

"Because Sakuraya would have killed you," Izaya replied, enjoying the look of horror that instantly spread across the other's face.

"P-please do not make such outrageous statements," Hibiki stuttered.

Izaya shrugged. "You did nearly kill one of his precious friends. Actually, I'm surprised you didn't stop Shizu-chan and Shitsuo from entering the complex. If something had happened to them, I can't even imagine what sweet Sakuraya would have done to you."

"Even if I had attempted anything, I doubt I would have succeeded." Hibiki frowned as he recalled his brief meeting with the two yesterday. "That human is a monster."

"Yeah, I don't deny that," Izaya agreed with him to his surprise. The prince smiled, his eyes distant. "He truly is a monster."

"Izaya-sama..." He felt as if he had seen that same expression on Sakuraya many times whenever his nephew would gaze out into the forest.

"Anyways," Izaya looked at him, dropping the smile, "enough with the jesting. The rope was the reason I haven't told Mother yet. It's from our well, isn't it?"

Hibiki flinched, not expecting Izaya to remember something as trivial as the weaving patterns their clan used. "Mamoru could have done the same," he reasoned.

"Mamoru knows Shizu-chan, so he would have shown himself," Izaya explained, shrugging. "The times have changed, you know."

"Indeed," Hibiki muttered. "I would have never made such a huge mistake before."

"Do you mean throwing me into the well to die, or coming back to save me?" the demon prince asked him, making him want to shrink away.

Hibiki averted his eyes from the other's sharp gaze, frustrated with himself at his loss of composure. "The former," he admitted. "I do not understand why you do not seek vengeance on me."

"You're regretting what you've done, and that's enough revenge coming from me," Izaya replied.

Hibiki looked back at him, surprised. The other had spent years among the humans. He had wrongly assumed that Izaya had lost his demon values. "Would you be saying the same if you had died?"

Izaya thought for a moment, not expecting Hibiki to press the issue when he had told the other he would not seek any reparations. He knew he could not speak for Shizuo or his mother, but Sakuraya would forgive his uncle with enough time.

Probably.

As for the question of whether he would forgive Hibiki if Shizuo had never shown up, Izaya didn't really have the answer. Would it even matter? If he had died, then he would never need to answer such a question.

"I suppose I would," Izaya muttered more to himself than his uncle, the uncertainty reflecting clearly in his voice.

After all, he still wasn't sure if he had ever forgiven the humans.

Hibiki closed the shoji door softly behind him, pausing for a moment on the veranda as he took a deep breath. It didn't make sense to him. He had expected a proper punishment from the one he had nearly killed, but Izaya's generosity had caught him completely by surprise.

His wish came true when a fist suddenly sent him flying into the center garden. Hibiki hit the rock formation hard, and he could still see the dust settling when he surfaced from the pond, violently coughing. He saw Sakurako on the veranda, her fist clenched. She glared at him pointedly and stormed away without another word.

He laughed, rubbing his broken ribs as they started to mend.

.

"Shizuo! You're wearing a yukata!" Shinra exclaimed as his missing friend entered Aiko's room.

 _"We thought something had happened to you for sure!"_ Celty's reaction was a little more appropriate. _"Did you find Izaya?"_

"Eh, I fell into a well," Shizuo muttered, scratching his head as he wondered how he would explain the past 24 hours. "And we found Izaya. He was in the well." He sighed. "It's a long story."

_"Is Izaya okay?"_

"Not in the best of shape, but he's fine for now." Shizuo looked around the room, feeling like he had just left just a few minutes ago in search of Izaya. "Did you two stay the night?"

"Yup! Aiko-chan was kind enough to offer me and my beloved a room to use for the night," Shinra explained, earning a whack on the head for his choice of words. He chuckled, massaging the bump as he looked behind Shizuo for Shitsuo.

"Where is my brother?" Aiko asked from her bed as she tried to sit up. Celty rushed over to support her, adjusting the pillows to make her more comfortable.

"I left him back at Izaya's place. I don't think he can get back in if he left," Shizuo told her. He frowned. "I really didn't see the barrier though."

"So he's with Sakuraya," Aiko said contemplatively.

"Aw, so that must mean we can't go waltzing in to visit," Shinra lamented.

Shizuo shrugged. "Probably not. Anyways..." He found the envelope where he had left it on the table.

.

Izaya studied the flower arrangement someone had set on the alcove across from his futon: a simple display of white tulips. He couldn't fathom just where they had managed to get their hands on such a flower so late into the rainy season.

The tray Mamoru had brought in earlier for lunch lay abandoned on the table, its contents barely touched. He didn't feel hungry; in fact he barely felt anything at all. He could see the warm afternoon rays of sunlight stream through the half-opened door, but he felt numb, empty, ever since Hibiki left.

He heard footsteps coming towards his room, and a shadow casted itself across the floor, revealing itself to be none other than Shizuo, dressed in a fresh set of his bartender clothes.

"You went back to change?" Izaya asked him.

Shizuo shrugged. "Might as well, since I had to pick something else up anyway. Shinra and Celty wouldn't let me leave until I told them the entire story."

Izaya's eyes trailed to the envelope in Shizuo's hands, and he felt the fire inside him reignite, its flames licking his sanity, threatening to melt it into a pile of smoldering ash.

"Why?" he finally managed, fighting the urge to run.

Shizuo walked over and sat himself down on the tatami without a word. He ripped the seal off carefully and took out two pieces of paper, the yellowed edges a testament to their age.

"N-No," Izaya protested, trying to edge away, but a strong grip on his arm stopped him.

"I'll read them first," Shizuo offered.

Izaya took a deep breath and settled in his futon, grasping his hands together as the monster that called itself a human armed itself with the very weapon that had sent him into that well. He watched Shizuo like a hawk, unable to discern the soft expression that had spread across the other's face. They stayed like that for a while. Izaya could hear his own breaths bordering on the edge of hyperventilation.

"I'm not reading them, Shizu-chan," Izaya protested when he couldn't take the silence any longer, but his words fell on deaf ears as Shizuo finally finished and handed him one of the two.

"This one's okay," Shizuo told him. "It's from Yoichi."

"Huh?" Izaya gaped at the letter. A message from Yoichi was not something he had expected at all. "I thought it was from..." he trailed off, unable to say that man's name.

"Read this one first," Shizuo encouraged him.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Izaya inhaled sharply and finally took the paper from his former archenemy's outstretched hand.

 _'Yoichi...'_ He had left Tsugaru's friend back in Hakodate without a second thought when they escaped. He understood if the other was angry at him, and he braced himself for the biting words that he knew he deserved. Izaya looked at Shizuo uncertainly, and the other gave him a reassuring nod.

He took a breath and started reading.

_Dear Izaya,_

_I would understand your confusion at receiving this letter so late, but I did specifically instruct Kawamoto to wait until after the war to find you. I know it is a ridiculous request, but the fact that you are reading this is evidence enough of his guilt, and I assure you he does feel quite terrible. Also, I do not doubt that you would have killed him with your own hands had you seen him again back in Hakodate, in which case this letter would have been lost. I would have killed him myself if I had been in your place._

_The war up here will most likely last a few more weeks at most, as you already know. I hope that you would have made it safely back to Kyoto by the time everything has settled. I will miss our conversations about humanity, and I realize now that you may not be thinking of us in the same light since the incident and the inevitable outcome. It is ironic, but I personally do not wish for you to become like me. For most of my life, I have only felt a deep hatred and anger for humankind, and it was you who finally made me feel at peace these past few weeks._

_Asking you to continue as you were is an impossible wish, so I will not make that request of you. I understand the feeling. I have felt it for most of my life after my father's death. It pains me to think that someone as long-lived as you will feel the same anger I have for so many years to come. Yet, please do not think too badly of us. As much as I hate humanity, in the end I am merely a human._

_Tsugaru is also undoubtedly a human. Even though we might be doomed as a species, every now and then you find someone like that man. I pray that you will meet another like him again in your long life, and that he will free your soul as you have done to mine. You do not need to feel obligated to stay the same. I know Tsugaru only wishes for one thing, even though he might not end up verbalizing it correctly when the time comes. I had almost written the wrong words too, but I have had some time to think about it, and my mind has been the clearest it has ever been these past few days._

_Do not regret what has happened. It will not change no matter what you do. I know Tsugaru does not regret for a moment the decision he made to be with you. I am certainly thankful to have met you in my short life._

_I pray it would be many years before we meet again._

_Know that you are loved very much by two foolish humans who will always be beside you in spirit._

_Please, be happy._

_\- Yoichi_

Izaya lowered the letter slowly, Yoichi's words still burning in his mind. He stared at the text for a while, ignoring Shizuo's inquisitive stare.

"Aren't you going to read the second one?" Shizuo finally couldn't help but ask.

Izaya stared into those brown eyes, unsure of what he was feeling at the moment. Tsugaru had asked with his dying breath for him not to change, back at that sakura grove in Edo. Had he been interpreting those words wrong all these years? And Yoichi, just what had happened to him?

"Izaya?" Shizuo repeated when he did not reply.

"I'll read it," he said, holding out a hand for the letter. Shizuo passed it to him slowly, watching his every move. He had a feeling that the bodyguard was making sure that he wouldn't rip it in a fit of rage before he finished reading it. Their hands touched as he took the letter, and Shizuo wrapped a hand around his.

"It'll be okay."

Izaya snorted. "I would have never expected Shizu-chan of all people to tell me things would be okay."

"Well someone has to."

Izaya blinked at him in surprise for a moment before finally giving Shizuo a small smile of gratitude. Indeed, he would have never expected this.

Feeling a little more courageous than before, he smoothed off the paper and began to read.

_Dear Izaya,_

_You are free to destroy this letter however you wish, but please finish reading it first. I have been searching for you ever since I left Hakodate, yet it seems that fate will not have us meet. Yoichi told me to look for you in Kyoto, but I can understand if you would never want to deal with humans again._

_I hated you for the longest time after the war for seducing Tsugaru. I hated Yoichi for forcing me to promise to pass you his letter, so I have to apologize in advance. I couldn't take it anymore and I read his letter to you._

_He has always been an incorrigible nuisance, but he was an honorable man to the very end. I did not realize he had not boasted of his deed to you, so I will do so in his stead. Yoichi offered to commit seppuku back in Hakodate in exchange for the safety of you and Tsugaru._

_I have been thinking about what happened back in Hakodate for many years, and there was not a single day where I did not despise myself for my actions. My other reason for writing this to you was to ask_ _for your forgiveness, but I do not expect you to forgive me. I do not deserve it, after what happened to Tsugaru. If knowing that I suffered until my death because of this would appease you, then I would be a little comforted._

_And, if you do not forgive me, which I do not expect you to, please at least forgive the foolish humans that have wronged you. I understand now that you feel as we feel, which must have been what drew Tsugaru and Yoichi to you, and I regret from the bottom of my heart for what I did that day. I do not even have enough courage to take my own life like Yoichi._

_It is strange to me. You are a demon, yet you are so loved by Tsugaru and Yoichi. It completely baffles me, but I suppose it is a product of my own ignorance. I would like to go off of Yoichi's letter and also wish for your happiness, for both their sakes._

_\- Kawamoto_

Izaya stared at the page for a while before finally setting the letter down. It was strange, now that the rush was over, he felt immensely tired. He was tired of everything, of all his anger and hate. Even the man responsible for all of this was outright asking for his forgiveness.

What was there to forgive? Everyone had already long passed on. At least with Hibiki, the other was still alive and actively repenting. It was only him here now, by himself. He felt tears welling in his eyes as the weight of that reality started to sink it.

It didn't matter whether or not he forgave Kawamoto. That man no longer existed in this world. He had suffered until his last breath, and to be honest, Izaya still felt no relief knowing that. It was a vicious cycle, and Izaya wanted to just run out into the forest until the air left his lungs and his body collapsed somewhere no one would find him.

He attempted to jump up and do just that, but his tired limbs were unresponsive to his frustration, and he helplessly raised his hands up to cover his face so Shizuo could not see the tears.

It was over. He had lost. Tsugaru was gone. Yoichi was gone. Even that bastard Kawamoto was gone.

Shizuo felt his heart sink as Izaya slowly descended into a heap as the demon bent over onto the sheets, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed quietly into his kimono. He didn't know what to do, and he tried to rub Izaya's back to sooth him, but the trembling shoulders he felt under his palm only made him feel worse. The informant had long disappeared, replaced by the demon Izaya who had waited years for his lover, who had been left alone with no escape from the emptiness that must have eaten at him.

Shizuo didn't recognize the emotion he was feeling, watching Izaya break down like this, but he knew he would do anything to make the other stop crying. He gently pulled the demon up, wrapping his arms around Izaya.

Izaya clenched onto his shirt and buried his face into Shizuo's chest, not caring anymore.

"It'll be okay," Shizuo told him, rubbing circles on the demon's back.

They stayed like that for a while, Izaya's muffled sobs diminishing to uneven breaths as the hands that stretched Shizuo's vest slowly relaxed. The demon finally pulled away, brushing a few residual tears off with his sleeve as he sniffed.

"Sorry," he croaked, his swollen eyes meeting the other's warm brown ones. He had lost count of the times he had broken down in front of Shizuo, but this was undoubtedly one of the worst. All the crying had tired him out, and all the storming emotions in him had whittled down to a quiet emptiness. He couldn't read the alien expression on Shizuo's face, but it was definitely nostalgic, like something he had forgotten long ago.

Shizuo stared into those forlorn blood red eyes, the ocean of despair swirling deep within them. He wanted very much for them to go away, to disappear somewhere where they would never meet again.

He remembered all these past years he had wished for the same, for the flea to just disappear from his life. His desire had even been fulfilled, albeit briefly, but he had felt no comfort from it.

He understood now. It still wasn't completely clear to him, but he knew enough of what he was feeling.

Izaya let out another long sigh and made to wipe the fresh stream of tears that accompanied it.

Shizuo was unable to take the abuse any longer, and he leaned in, encasing the demon's lips in his own.


	27. Chapter 27

Izaya's lips were soft, and Shizuo found himself deepening the kiss, burying his hand in the demon's silky hair to draw them closer. Trembling fingers grasped his vest uncertainly, clutching to him like he was the only living warmth left in the world.

The demon prince didn't fight him, and he could taste the salty remnants of Izaya's tears on his tongue. He suddenly remembered a sakura tree, it's spring branches sprinkling the air with light pink petals as the wind picked up around them.

Everything felt so familiar, yet he knew it was just Tsugaru's distant memories. He had only ever touched Izaya in fits of rage, and the realization was yet another knot in his chest. It was Tsugaru that Izaya loved, not the monster he had been playing the part of all these years. He pushed those thoughts violently to the back of his mind, concentrating on the present. Everything now was him, not Tsugaru. He was the one breathing and living in this world, the one who had Izaya in his arms.

He pushed the demon back onto the futon, pinning the other down with his own body, both of them unwilling to break the kiss. He could feel long nails digging through his shirt, and he pulled the offending hand away softly, intertwining their fingers against the sheets as he cupped Izaya's face with his other hand.

He had never desired something so much in his life. He wondered if this was how drug addicts felt, unable to stop the flow of poison that coursed through their veins. Izaya's face was flushed under his, eyes lidded as if he were under the same spell.

"Tsugaru..." he heard a quiet whimper, and just as quickly as he had initiated the contact, he pulled away. Wide blood-red eyes stared back at him from the complacent figure on the futon, apparent confusion glistening in them as well.

 _'Tsugaru.'_ He gritted his teeth, knowing that he had no reason to be jealous; he had done this knowing exactly what would happen.

"Ah, excuse me," he muttered the first words that came to him, feeling his face burning up as he briskly stood up and left the room.

Izaya had explicitly said "Tsugaru." There was no mistake, he told himself as he stormed through the hallways, not bothering to look back to see if the other had followed him. He supposed it was an unfair expectation on his part, since he knew Izaya was in no shape to run after him to begin with. A familiar red-haired demon blocked his way out up ahead.

"Heiwajima-sama, I was not aware you had returned," Mamoru greeted him, but he brushed past the other without a word.

His feet carried him through the courtyard and out into the late spring sky. He took a deep breath, trying to collect his raging thoughts.

He knew. He knew from the very beginning, and yet he still willingly walked straight into the trap. He threw a fist at the thing closest to him, and the tree toppled over into its neighbors, a jagged crack at its trunk solid proof of Shizuo's frustration.

.

Izaya remained motionless when he heard the door to his room slide open behind him. He knew he had done something horrible to Shizuo, and he couldn't bear to face the other yet when he himself had not properly sorted out his emotions. He understood why the other had kissed him, and at the same time he did not understand.

He hadn't meant for Tsugaru's name to slip out of his mouth.

"Where did your friend go?" he heard his mother's voice. She had most likely seen the other rushing out of the complex.

Izaya chose not to answer, wishing that the ground below him would open up and swallow him whole. He wanted no more of any of this.

Yet, Shizuo's hurt expression after he had accidentally said his lover's name still flashed through his mind.

Sakurako looked down at her child, now fully grown after so many years away from her. She knew exactly how he was feeling; she had suffered the same when his father died, and it had taken all the wisdom she had in her long life for her to not lash out against the humans responsible for his death and possibly destroy their clan in the process.

They had offered it to her back then, and she had adamantly refused. She supposed Takashi had been a factor in her decision. He had given her strength to live through her first husband's murder and had unconditionally backed every single one of her decisions whether or not his own family agreed.

She had hoped that the human who had saved Izaya would have done the same for her son, but she knew in the back of her mind just how fragile that hope was. Humans only lived so long, and even if Shizuo had succeeded in replacing the one Izaya pined after, her son would only go through the entire process again when the time came. Judging by Izaya's current state, she still had time to stop him.

She sighed. She had recently wrestled the entire story from Mamoru, so she had a good guess at what had happened earlier in this room.

She knelt down slowly, and Izaya finally stirred, turning to face her. He looked up at her from the futon, eyes red and swollen.

Sakurako could feel a knot in her throat. She saw herself clearly in her son's eyes, and she made her decision then as she put a hand over his eyes.

He could hate her later if he wanted, but she would not let him suffer any longer. Humans would never bring any of them happiness.

"Sleep," she told him.

Sakurako stepped out of the room, closing the door softly behind her as she turned her gaze to the sky, the orange rays of the setting sun painting the backdrop, its light reflecting off the calm ripples of the garden pond.

She saw Mamoru approach her, holding a tray with her son's dinner on it.

"You should probably wait a little while before going in," she told him. She saw his eyes trail to her hands, most likely sensing the remnants of the spell vibrating off of them. Mamoru always had a knack for these sorts of things.

"You did not..." he gasped. "Did Izaya-sama ask you to? I was not aware he knew about it."

She shook her head. "Of course not. I made the decision for him."

Mamoru grimaced, and Sakurako averted her eyes.

"It is hardship that makes us who we are, but..." she looked at her own hands, still clean of any human blood despite all the years she had lived, "as a mother, I cannot bear to see him like this."

"Forgive me, but I believe you did something unnecessary this time."

She looked back at him. "Did you really expect that human to be able to save him?"

Mamoru nodded. "He is strong."

"He is a human," she clarified.

"Humans can be strong too."

She stared into her old friend's eyes, sensing no doubt in their depths. Sakurako made no signs of regret on her part as she broke their gaze and turned to the garden, watching the last rays of the dying sun flickering off the water. "I think you must have spent too much time with them, Mamoru," she muttered.

The spell cannot be undone.

.

"What are you doing back so soon?" Shinra exclaimed when Shizuo entered the hotel room and made a beeline to his suitcase.

"I'm going back to Ikebukuro," the bodyguard replied monotonously as he began tossing in some of the souvenirs he had bought for Kasuka, shuffling through his clothes to make a safe pocket for them.

"You do realize the trains are booked out already, right?" he could hear Shinra shuffle up to him but he made no sign that he had heard. He'll walk the distance back if he had to.

"Is Izaya okay?" the doctor continued to question him relentlessly, unaware of the situation. Shizuo really didn't blame the other, but he could not find the words to explain himself at the moment, so he continued his task systematically while he valiantly tried to ignore the crushing pain that had engulfed his chest. It was abnormal for him to feel so much physical torment. He wanted to blame the flea. He had intended to blame the flea, yet those eyes that had betrayed him had done nothing wrong. He had spun the trap himself.

A hand on his shoulder made him stop. It was Celty's.

_"Shizuo, calm down."_

He groaned, grasping his hair in frustration as he sat himself down onto the desk chair. Strong hands rubbed his back reassuringly as he tried to gather his thoughts. He finally looked up at Celty and Shinra, who were both hovering over him with worry.

 _"What happened?"_ Celty asked, her shadows covering the doctor's mouth before the other could say anything that would worsen the situation.

Shizuo bit his lip. He didn't know how to voice his emotions, which was one of the reasons he had run off after all. Just what had he been feeling? He knew he wanted to make Izaya stop crying. The entire situation had been so painful for him to watch, but he knew it had to happen eventually, the catharsis the informant would have avoided for the rest of his years had he had the choice.

They had messed up from the beginning, that sunny day back in Raijin. He wanted to go back to tell his teenage self just what an idiot he was.

Izaya would have gotten Tsugaru back. He had been fancying that idea just the slightest, but the moment the other whispered that man's name, even though it was his own, he had lost himself. Shizuo let out a long sigh. He knew exactly what was bothering him.

"Izaya mistook me for Tsugaru."

"Eh?" Shinra exclaimed right when Celty's shadows also inadvertently slipped from his mouth. "He's been doing that since the beginning."

"I know!" Shizuo shouted, making the other two step back. He took a breath, massaging his forehead. "I don't know why I'm so bothered by it now."

_"Isn't that because you like him?"_

"Celty, be careful," Shinra said, raising his hands up in defense as Shizuo reread the message slowly several times.

 _"I'm right, aren't I?"_ she asked again when he did not answer.

Shizuo looked away, sighing in defeat. "Yes, you're right."

_"If you leave now, you will never see him again."_

_._

"Forgive my language, Sakurako-sama, but this is completely unacceptable!" Ryouichi said, his usually calm composure finally cracking. "It is bad enough that two humans have discovered where we live, but one of them is able to pass freely. It will not be long before the rest of them come."

The room exploded into a series of hushed whispers as Sakurako regarded her subjects silently.

"I do not think that would happen. The humans only passed through the barrier to save Izaya-sama, after all," Mamoru told them when it looked like the queen would not speak. However, his reasoning only put a small dent in their disagreement, and the heavy air continued.

"How was Izaya-sama injured anyway?" one of the demons suddenly asked.

Mamoru looked at Sakurako expectantly only to have her stare him down. He knew why she refused to tell them; the very idea that one of their own had injured the prince would cause an uproar, perhaps even worse than the current one. He saw Hibiki shift uncomfortably from the corner of his eye.

"It must have been the humans!" another demon concluded when Sakurako didn't answer, further fueling the fire. "We have to seal the barrier!"

"Yes, now may be an opportune time, especially since both of them have finally left," Ryouichi told the queen. "That way we would both protect ourselves, and the two humans you claim to be of no danger to us will also be unharmed in the process."

"Ah, but Sakuraya has currently stepped out of the barrier," Hibiki suddenly spoke, prompting all eyes in the room to suddenly turn to him.

"Why would he be outside of the barrier?" Ryouichi asked.

"It matters not," Sakurako interrupted before Hibiki could accidentally reveal her youngest son's relationship. "I'm sure most of you have ventured outside at least once. We will wait for his return before discussing the matter again."

"Every moment we wait may bring ruin to us," Ryouichi reminded her.

She grimaced. "I know. That is why we will seal the barrier when he returns. No one is to leave the compound until then."

Sakurako averted Mamoru's wide eyes.

This was the correct path she told her herself.

She would never have to see those empty eyes on her sons again.

_._

Izaya massaged his forehead, feeling just the slightest of throbs from a previously raging headache. He didn't understand why Mamoru had looked so distraught earlier when the other brought him his dinner. His long time friend usually hid emotions quite well, but Izaya could tell instantly this time. He had decided not to ask, but now that he was alone, he couldn't help but wonder just what was going on.

He guessed his current state probably had something to do with it. Mamoru assured him that his memories would sort themselves out in a little while, but he couldn't help but think there was a huge hole in the middle of everything that he could recall.

For example, he could not fathom how Hibiki could have found the opportune moment to push him into the well, nor could he believe that his mortal enemy had dove in to save him. Also, he had forgiven his step-uncle afterwards without a moment's hesitation. When had he been that nice? Not to mention, he couldn't remember the reason for returning to Kyoto, nor could he recall what had driven him to leave it.

Worst of all, he remembered the protozoan kissing him. Had the world become mad?

He touched his lips, remembering the heated kiss they had shared. He did not detest it, and he was certain that Shizuo didn't hate it either, given the fact that it was the human who initiated it. Why had the other left so quickly?

He had said something horrible; he knew that much. Izaya groaned, clutching his head when another wave of pain washed over him.

Why couldn't he remember?

His dark room felt awfully small, and he wanted very much to go outside to clear his mind. He did just that, pulling his strangely numb body up. Izaya spotted his usual clothes folded neatly on top of the drawer and threw them on, pulling the furry hood over his horns. Given his current state, he didn't think he could transform anyway.

He tiptoed slowly through the quiet compound, the moon his only companion. He stopped briefly on the veranda where the water was closest when he saw his own tired complexion reflecting off the water. He shuddered at the swollen eyes. He must have cried in front of someone, and his gut told him it was Shizuo. He looked up when he heard footsteps up ahead, and he looked around for a spot to hide only for the door next to him to slide open. A pair of arms pulled him into the darkness, and he held still until his mother's silhouette passed before letting out a breath.

"Just where are you headed so late at night?" a voice drawled behind him, making him jump away clumsily.

"Well, this is a surprise," he replied, putting on his usual grin when he found himself face to face with Hibiki. He immediately regretted trusting his savior so quickly; it might have been safer for his mother to have found him. On the other hand, his step-uncle seemed unfazed by his strange behavior and instead sat back down on the tatami, arms crossed.

"I see the spell even I could not bring myself to cast on Sakuraya is working quite well on you," he muttered.

Izaya froze. Was this why he had so much trouble remembering things? "What do you mean?" he growled.

Hibiki frowned. "It was Sakurako-sama's decision, so I am in no position to tell you."

"Then why would you even mention it?"

A dark grimace flickered across the demon's face. "Because I disagree with it."

"Excellent. Maybe you can tell me how to break it then. No need to tell me what the spell actually is," Izaya decided to trust him, not sensing the usual hostility from the other for one reason or another. Perhaps it was because he had let his step-uncle off so easily, in which case at least that decision of his began to make a little sense in his head. A throb told him this was not the case.

Despite his best efforts, he knew Hibiki had detected his sudden flinch. The older demon regarded him for a moment before his expression finally softened. "It seems there is still time. Your mind is trying to fill in the gaps that have formed. Under normal circumstances, the results should have been permanent by now, but that human you have forgotten must have really played a huge role in your life."

"I forgot someone?" That didn't quite make sense to him. There wasn't exactly a constant blank face in his memories. It was just a strange hole in his chest whenever he tried to recall anything.

Hibiki nodded. "If you could find something that would trigger your memory before everything settles, then perhaps it'll reverse the spell."

"Hm..." Izaya decided to sit down also. His legs had already grown tired from the short walk. "That might be a problem."

To his surprise, his step-uncle looked just as irritated. "Indeed. No one is allowed outside of the compound right now."

"Huh? Why is that?"

"They are worried because your two friends were able to enter. They plan to seal the barrier as soon as Sakuraya returns. I do not know where he has gone."

"Probably to the Kawamoto... argh!" Izaya groaned as a wave a pain suddenly washed over him the moment the name left his lips.

Hibiki regarded him quietly before finally sighing. "I will help you go outside." Izaya looked up, immediately conjuring a series of possible plots that could be running through his step-uncle's head. Hibiki seemed not to care and continued. "I fear the queen would use the same spell on Sakuraya as soon as he returns, and I do not wish for him to be suffering like you."

"I'm glad you love my brother so much," Izaya scoffed, massaging his temple.

"You are lucky indeed." Hibiki told him, removing a piece of paper from his sleeve and offering it to Izaya.

The demon prince took the paper cautiously, opening it to reveal an old map of Kyoto and the surrounding forest. He spotted a little circle drawn on the forest off to the side with fresh ink.

"Mamoru said you should be able to find something there."

"Mamoru?" Izaya couldn't believe his friend would so willingly work with the man who had almost killed him.

Hibiki nodded. "He told me you were quite the informant in the East. Perhaps once you've regained your memories, you can convince your mother to leave Sakuraya's memories alone."

"I'm an informant, not a negotiator," Izaya muttered, pocketing the map.


	28. Chapter 28

Izaya followed Hibiki silently through the thicket, the shine of the half-moon and the star-littered spring sky the only light that guided their way. He had never taken this particular route before, and he traced his former enemy's movements blindly.

His limbs ached from the exertion as they began to move downhill, and it was all he could do to keep his breathing even as to not give away his current state to the other demon. His body had already begun to feel heavy from the short trip, threatening to send him tumbling down the slope. As much as he wanted to rest, now was not the time given how dire Hibiki had painted the entire situation.

Just what had happened prior that made him like this?

The moment that question ghosted across his thoughts, an excruciating pain shot through his head, and he stumbled over one of the roots, nearly losing his balance. Hibiki paused, but Izaya grinned it off, refusing to let himself slow their progress. The pain slowly subsided as they continued, and he kept himself from massaging his forehead as he navigated through the bushes.

_The empty branches of the ancient sakura tree stretched far over the two of them, shielding them momentarily from their inevitable departure. It was hidden there, nestled between its huge roots._

_The man smiled, ocean eyes reaching deep into his._

_"I promise..."_

'Huh?' Izaya unconsciously clutched his chest. That man had looked a lot like Shizu-chan.

That couldn't be right he told himself. Shizuo was a monster that called itself a human, his greatest enemy in the world. Shizuo was violent, brass, unrefined...

Shizuo had kissed him.

Izaya grimaced, nearly catching his foot in another root. His "greatest enemy" had saved him from drowning alone in that old rotten well. The other had carried his bullet-ridden body to Shinra when he had for some reason propelled himself in front of Akane.

Shizuo had kissed him.

He remembered the sensation on his lips, so alien yet familiar.

What had he said that made the strongest man in Ikebukuro retreat like that? After so many years of relentless chasing, what could have driven the monster off? Izaya racked his brain for an answer, and that man in his memory came back to him.

 _The hand around his was warm._ _"My name is Tsugaru."_

"Tsugaru?" Izaya whispered just as he felt the soft caress of the barrier wash over him. The ache in his chest deepened, and he let out an involuntarily groan, sinking to his knees. They had finally made it to the bottom of the incline.

Just who had he forgotten?

"Izaya-sama?" Hibiki whispered, and Izaya looked up to find concern in the other's eyes.

He wanted to laugh at the irony of it all. His step-uncle had almost killed him just the day before for being too close to the humans, and now Hibiki was helping him in his escape to the human world.

"We have to keep moving," Hibiki mouthed, offering him a hand.

Izaya nodded silently and took it, stumbling to his feet as he suddenly fell ungracefully past the barrier. They continued through the forest, careful to avoid the usual paths as they made their way towards Kyoto.

The pain was unbearable, a powerful wave that constantly made to force him to the ground, threatening to smolder the remaining flames of his life in its wake. Izaya tried to take a deep breath to calm it, but the emotion that swirled inside of him kept a tight rope around his neck. The crisp night air seemed to dig into his skin, and he pulled his jacket tighter around himself.

He already knew the truth.

The man he had forgotten had long been gone from this world.

The silence began to become painfully apparent, and the lack of conversation, of a distraction from these thoughts, made him feel much worse. Why had he left Kyoto? What was the point in regaining his memories? He was already in this much pain, and he had not remembered even a fraction of the one he had forgotten.

To be honest, it scared him. As much as he wished to find out the truth, he was terrified of the inevitable end result. He wanted to run back to the compound, to just toss everything aside and accept it as is. He knew it was the spell talking, but as soon as he allowed that thought to come into existence the rest followed like a plague.

He thought of Shizuo, the monster he had met back in Ikebukuro, of Shinra, his one human "friend," of the head he had unwittingly left in his apartment upon his departure. Izaya gritted his teeth, his heart dropping at the thought of the Orihara twins. They would have grown up as normal human children, devoid of his twisted influence. Kyouko would have had no reason to hate him, and life would have continued as usual.

He looked at Hibiki, his resolve starting to strengthen. Maybe him not knowing was all for the best. Hibiki would have never had to do something so stupid as to push him into that well, and Sakuraya... He paused, suddenly finding a thorn in his reasoning.

If he had not left, then Sakuraya would have never been born.

An uninvited rustle interrupted his thoughts, and a familiar face greeted them with stern eyes.

"Brother?" Hibiki immediately feigned surprise. "What brings you outside of the compound?"

Takashi took a step towards them, the shadow of the trees engulfing him. "You know well what Sakurako's wishes were," the demon replied, his voice a low growl.

Hibiki nodded, pretending to agree. "Of course. I was just hoping to bring Sakuraya back on my own so we could speed up the process."

"Then why is Izaya-sama with you?" Takashi asked, his blood red eyes moving to the demon prince. "He should be resting right now. You must know about the side effects of the spe..." he held his tongue, realizing the slip-up too late. However, the lack of surprise in Izaya's eyes told him everything he needed to know. "You know about it already then."

"I do," Izaya replied.

Those eyes, the most dangerous Izaya had ever seen them, returned their gaze to their owner's brother. "Hibiki..."

"What right do you have to tell me what memories I should have?" Izaya cut in before the other demon could finish, feeling the rage build up in him.

Takashi regarded him for a moment, seemingly unfazed by the question. "It was Sakurako's decision, and I will stand by it," he finally explained slowly, crossing his arms.

"You were the one who told me you did not make decisions for others," Hibiki muttered, recalling their conversation about the next heir just days prior. He had changed much since that day, and it surprised him that while he might have taken a step forward, his brother had definitely taken quite a few back.

"Sakurako's wishes are my own, dear brother. It is for the best of our clan."

Hibiki took back that thought. His brother had always been quite a few steps behind.

"Now that everything is settled, we are going back to the compound," Takashi announced as he took another step towards Izaya, but Hibiki positioned himself between them.

"Move aside, Brother. Izaya-sama is too weak to walk back on his own."

"If you take him back, then what would become of Sakuraya? Would you let Sakurako-sama wipe your son's memories too?" Hibiki asked.

"That is for her to decide," the other demon replied fluidly, removing his hands from his sleeves.

Hibiki smiled. "Then I am afraid I cannot allow that."

Without warning, Takashi struck, the punch sending his own brother into the trees. Hibiki jumped up from where he landed just as quickly, not letting his broken jaw fully heal before he sprang at the other.

"What are you doing? Stop it!" Izaya yelled at the two of them, completely flabbergasted that two demons would actually be fighting like this. Hibiki's attack made contact with his brother's shoulder, sending a spray of blood across the grass. Takashi was unfazed, instead countering with a well-aimed punch into Hibiki's stomach.

Izaya took a step back. It was his fault. Everything was because of him. Demons were not meant to quarrel like this, like the humans that lived beyond these trees. If he had been at full strength...

"Run!" Hibiki gasped before Takashi hurled him headfirst into a nearby rock. The impact echoed throughout the forest, leaving him momentarily stunned among the shattered stone.

"Hibiki!" A rough hand grabbed Izaya's arm before he could even take a step forward.

"You need to listen to your step-father." The grip tightened, and Izaya let out an involuntary scream as he heard a sickening crack.

"Izaya-sama!" Hibiki struggled to his feet, but his wounds were not healing fast enough for him to move.

The pain nearly brought him to his knees, but Takashi would not release his grip. Izaya found himself staring into cold red eyes, and a shiver ran down his spine. He knew what was coming, having seen that expression enough times during his time in the human world. He had witnessed them on many occasions when the war had still been raging around him, and again whenever he encountered one of the more dangerous ones in Ikebukuro.

They were the eyes of a killer, void of any reason, with only raw instinct driving them.

He saw a clawed hand coming at him in slow motion now, aimed right for his throat. He struggled to break free, but his body would not listen to him. Figures it would fail him when he needed it the most, just like back at the well, just like when that man had raised the gun at him in Hakodate.

_He stared at the growing red flower upon his lovers' back, a testament to his failure._

He stopped struggling, the force of the memory a stinging slap on his face.

Just as he accepted his fate, a familiar roar shattered it, breaking through the trees.

"Izaya!"

It all happened very suddenly. The hand released him as its owner flew through the air and slammed through the nearest tree, shattered bark and splinters propelling through the air. Izaya crumpled to the floor, clutching his broken arm. A familiar silhouette stepped in front of him protectively.

Takashi slowly stood up, brushing the dust off his kimono before turning his attention to a piece of wood impaled through his lower back.

"Tch." Shizuo growled as the other grabbed the piece and pulled it cleanly out, his thick blood splattering on the ground as the wound closed.

The demon turned his attention back to them, but before he could move, a pair of arms rooted him to the ground.

"Let me go, Brother."

Hibiki paid him no mind and instead turned his attention to Shizuo. "Take Izaya-sama and go!" he yelled, not believing that he was actually asking a human for help.

Shizuo didn't need any more instruction as he turned around and nimbly picked up Izaya in his arms before disappearing into the trees.

The two remaining demons stared at the now quiet clearing for a long while, all tension seeming to melt away with Shizuo and Izaya's departure.

"I thought you hated humans," Takashi finally muttered, not bothering to struggle. "Or was that all for Sakuraya? You always did have a strange obsession with my son."

Hibiki chuckled, finding his jaw finally comfortably intact as he spoke. "I thought you were the rational one, but in the end you are no different from me. You do realize Sakurako-sama would have never hurt her own son, right?"

"Her happiness is all that matters," the other muttered under his breath. "She would have been better off forgetting him and everything left of him."

"Sometimes what you think is best may not be in their best interest." Hibiki let go of his brother. He looked over at the trees where the human and their prince had disappeared. "I almost made an irreversible decision, thinking it was best for Sakuraya. If not for the humans, it would have been all over."

Takashi turned around to face his brother, all flames extinguished when he realized his intentions had been exposed. "You saw through me."

Hibiki laughed bitterly. "Of course! You are my brother after all."

Takashi hesitated, studying the other closely as he weighed his options. "Will you report to Sakurako that I tried to kill her son?"

Hibiki crossed his arms pointedly. "Well, you did not."

"That is only because you stopped me."

"That human stopped you," Hibiki corrected him. He sighed. "He thwarted my plans too, I must say."

.

Shizuo finally slowed to a stop when he didn't hear footsteps behind him. They were much closer to civilization now, and he could almost make out the lights from the sleeping Kyoto on the horizon. Izaya was breathing heavily in his arms, clutching his own arm gingerly through the familiar fur-trimmed jacket. Shizuo grimaced. He had heard the crack earlier. Weren't demons supposed to heal quicker than this?

"Izaya?" he called the other softly, finding himself staring into those blood red eyes once again. He nearly sighed in relief. Izaya was still willing to look at him after he had ran out like that.

He gently let the other down. "Does it hurt?" he asked after a moment when he saw no change in the informant's constant wincing.

"I don't know why it's taking so long to heal." Izaya could feel the bone mending slowly, the pain taking much too long to subside. He allowed himself to sit on the ground to ease the sudden pressure on his legs when Shizuo let him down. "Shit," he muttered, clutching the injured arm to his chest.

Shizuo sat down next to him, careful to keep his distance as he waited for Izaya to calm his nerves. He could feel his own heart beating far too quickly. He had so much resolve leaving the hotel, but he found that he could only stay silent now that the adrenaline had subsided.

Izaya let out a long sigh when the pain finally dulled to a throb and lay on the ground, exhausted. He gazed up at the endless sea of stars, seeming to enjoy the momentary rest deep in thought.

Shizuo watched the informant quietly, tracing the soft light of the sky reflecting off the demon's blood red eyes.

"Shizu-chan?" Izaya said after a long while.

"Yes?"

Izaya hesitated, not knowing how to put his thoughts into words. Shizuo was sitting right next to him now, calm as the sea. It was a strange picture indeed. He could see the one in his memories smiling just as serenely. He closed his eyes tight, refusing to believe his own memories. Shizu-chan wasn't meant to be a calm creature. The two must be different people. That was the only explanation.

"Is everything alright?" Shizuo's voice brought him back to reality.

"Why do you ask that?" Izaya couldn't fathom how the other could detect any abnormality in one such as himself.

The bodyguard scratched his head. "Well, something just seems," he hesitated, searching for the right word, "missing."

Izaya blinked at him for a moment before looking away. "Sorry," he muttered. He really didn't want to bring up Tsugaru, especially now that he knew the reason for Shizuo's quick departure.

And, the last thing he wanted right now was to be alone with all the emotions that seemed to have made their way back to him.

"I just..." Izaya placed a hand on his heart, his claws tracing the black fabric that separated his skin from the outside world.

"Something happened after I left, right?" Shizuo pressed on persistently, not knowing what to make of the entire situation. He supposed it was his fault for running away earlier, but he remembered Shinra's advice, and he was not about to let his past failures stop him now.

Izaya saw worry in those deep brown eyes. He caved in, the corners of his mouth quivering as he searched for the right words. "They did something to my memories. I've forgotten Tsu..." the name came out in a choke, and he paused at the sudden wave of emotion that washed over him. "Tsugaru," he finished after a moment. He took a deep breath, trying to drown out the anguish that seemed to flow around him relentlessly.

"My mother somehow made me forget about him, and the original plan was for me to go out here and find something that would remind me, but..." He closed his eyes, willing for all the endless pain that seemed to have engulfed him to go away. It didn't work.

"I am a little apprehensive," he admitted.

Shizuo stared at Izaya for a long while, soaking in the details. He knew he could take this as his chance, now that Tsugaru was out of the picture. Yet, he felt like it wasn't right for Izaya to forget.

No, he didn't want Izaya to forget.

"I could tell you about him," he offered meekly.

Izaya's eyes widened before his expression softened into a smile. "I'd like that."

Shizuo didn't know where to start. He told Izaya about the first time the two had met, under a huge sakura tree in the outskirts of Kyoto. He told him how the samurai had to leave because of the war, and how Izaya had followed, until they had ended up in the cold land of Hakodate. He told the demon of that fateful day, and how they had made it back together to Tokyo afterwards. He nearly wavered when he recollected that day under the blooming sakura grove, the day Tsugaru had finally passed on.

He could not read Izaya's expression through the entire story, and when he reached the end, he found himself continuing, recalling how the two had finally met again after such a long time.

"I wish I could go back to that day," he muttered, scratching his head awkwardly.

"Why did you fall in love with me?" Izaya finally asked. "We've been fighting ever since the first day we've met."

Shizuo frowned. "Does it matter?"

"Then you don't deny it."

"I don't play around, flea."

Izaya smiled. "How should I know? You've always been a protozoan."

"Why you..."

"You're definitely not Tsugaru," Izaya continued, nodding to himself. "He doesn't sound anything like a protozoan."

Shizuo sighed, deciding not to press the issue.

Izaya stood up slowly, his legs feeling much better after the rest. "Thank you, Shizu-chan."

"Where are you going?"

"It looks like I need to fulfill a promise." He took the map out of his pocket, hesitating when he looked at Shizuo. "Will you accompany me?" He paused. "I don't want to be alone when I remember," he added in a near whisper.

"That's the plan," Shizuo replied. "Can't have someone else killing you, you know?"

Izaya nodded, laughing.


	29. Chapter 29

Izaya glanced back at the map to confirm the location just as the first glimmer of day greeted them over the hill. He could make out the faint outline of what used to be a stream, long dried up and covered in dead leaves. Shizuo seemed to share similar sentiments, and the bodyguard strolled contemplatively up the slight incline to the remains of a huge tree, its rotted branches strewn around a jagged stump.

Izaya took a deep breath and followed suit, butterflies dancing in his stomach when he realized he recognized this place. He could still hear the water running softly through the rocks, the fresh scents of the forest surrounding him in those days long past.

He knelt down beside the stump and gently touched the fine dust that had settled on the once lush grass, feeling the unfamiliar earth on his fingertips. He closed his eyes and saw the branches of the massive tree shielding him from the sun above and the bushes that had surrounded his quiet clearing just outside the bustling city of Kyoto. He had spent so many days here by himself until that fateful night. That's right, this was his favorite spot for many years before he left Kyoto for the East.

The roar of a distant train interrupted his reminiscing.

"It's been that long, huh?" he whispered, glancing at the dried up bank where Tsugaru had run across. He chuckled, letting his legs buckle in, and brought his knees harshly on the dry ground. The demon touched the empty space again, as if hoping that something familiar would catch on to his senses. It was faint, but he knew this was the spot.

Izaya began digging where he knelt, clawing relentlessly at the ground as he searched. He could feel his fingers starting to become raw and subsequently heal, but still he saw nothing but dirt and weeds before him. Had Tsugaru buried them so deep?

Shizuo watched all of this quietly from the side, knowing exactly what Izaya was looking for.

The demon stopped briefly, wiping at his damp forehead with his sleeve. He irritably threw off his jacket, not flinching at the sudden cold dawn air that blew against his skin like knives, before moving slightly to the right and beginning another hole.

Twenty minutes later, the demon had made an uneven ring around the tree stump, and he flung the last bit of earth aside in frustration before resting his forehead against the dead tree.

"It's not here…"

His hands stung; he had struck the root several times, and his weakened body had bled in response, his fingers now caked in dried blood and the occasional weed.

"Did someone take it?" He thought of Kyoto's museums. Had someone else gotten here before them… before him? He snorted. This was probably how it should be. There was no point in finding them anyway. No point…

His vision started blurring, and he shifted slightly, watching aimlessly as the tears fell onto the dirt, darkening the light colored sand around the tree stump. Everything he had done up until now was pointless.

Everything…

Izaya closed his eyes, letting the rest of the tears flow out and allowed the relentless air to blow over his arched back. What did he care?

A sudden warmth enveloped his shoulders and he opened one eye slowly, realizing that it was his jacket.

"You'd catch a cold, sleeping like that," Shizuo told him.

"Demons don't catch colds," he replied softly and sat back on the dirt to slip his arms back through his dusty jacket. He laughed bitterly. "Someone must have taken them."

"Hm…"

Izaya didn't look up when he heard the other past him. He nearly jumped up when he felt the ground rise beneath him and scooted back a few feet as the dirt cracked and half exploded outward as Shizuo uprooted the tree stump.

"W-What are you doing?" he gasped, coughing as the dust that covered the area entered his nose. "You protozo-" Something fell into his lap.

After confirming the results of his handiwork, Shizuo tossed the tree aside and dusted off his clothes before he returned to the demon prince's side.

Izaya stared at the sake cups quietly for a while, the Fortissimo of Ikebukuro graciously keeping silent as he suddenly felt the remaining memories wash back into him. He had known most of what had happened, but it was the emotions that chose to return now.

The familiar despair came in waves, threatening to drown him in its wake as he clutched at his heart, choking on a soundless sob. He remembered his mother telling him to rest. He had wanted to for so long. He remembered welcoming the emptiness as Tsugaru washed away from his being.

Everything had happened because of him.

_The shot rang through the clearing. He could have stopped him. He should have stopped him._

_He could see the blood, and he already knew._

_He knew._

It was completely his fault.

Izaya's eyes widened as chapped lips brushed against his, the distant taste of cigarette smoke still lingering on the other's tongue as he unconsciously leaned into the kiss. He suddenly felt grounded to reality, alive with the pain he had suppressed all these years and the guilt he had held since Tsugaru's death.

He could feel the suppressed hunger in the other's kiss, like a beast ready to pounce, yet beneath it all there was a familiar gentleness he had missed, not unlike the feeling he got from Tsugaru back during the Boshin War.

The bodyguard finally pulled away, warm brown eyes staring into his, melting him back into the present as if time had started moving again. Then, his savior spoke, and the words were once again completely outside of his expectations.

"If it'll save you, then I'll be Tsugaru for you," Shizuo whispered.

Izaya blinked at the other through his tears. He knew that Shizuo may have Tsugaru's memories; he may even be the samurai's reincarnation. However, the two were unmistakably two different entities. This human was truly a monster.

Izaya studied the Fortissimo of Ikebukuro for a while, his eyes following every curve of the other's body. He knew for sure now, and he wanted to sigh in relief for avoiding a trap that could have eaten him alive until his death many years from now. He would have welcomed it, and if what he suspected was true, he knew Shizuo would have played along if he had expressed the desire to drown in such a lie.

Yet, he was an informant, he reminded himself as blood red eyes met warm brown ones.

And informants never lie.

"You're definitely not Tsugaru," Izaya stated. He felt the last of the memories fill in the holes like a caress. The pain was there. It would always be there.

The corner's of Shizuo's lips turned up into a smile. "I'm not," he agreed.

Izaya felt himself relax at that, realizing that it had been a long time since the other had smiled at him. It was sort of refreshing, not having your greatest enemy's face contorted in fury every time you saw him. In fact, it was even more refreshing that your greatest enemy had somehow come to care for you this much.

Izaya supposed he'll give this a try. If he didn't take a step forward now, then he will always be stuck in the past.

"I'll need some time to return your answer," his voice came out as a croak as he wiped away some of the tears on his sleeve.

"Take as long as you want. I'm not going anywhere," Shizuo reassured him.

Izaya hesitated. "But you're human..." he muttered meekly.

"So?"

"Humans don't..." he paused, "live that long."

"It only took a few months with Tsugaru. I'm sure I can wait longer than that."

Izaya gaped at him. This monster of a human was completely unpredictable. Shizuo had not changed at all.

The human in question grinned and offered him a hand. "Let's go back."

Izaya nodded, taking the hand. It was warm, he noted, much warmer than he had remembered.

"You're crazy, you know, for loving someone like me," he muttered.

"So was Tsugaru."

Izaya stared at the other for a moment, flabbergasted. He finally let out a laugh. "Unbelievable, Shizu-chan."

.

"Thank goodness you're here!" Shinra exclaimed when the door opened, prompting Shitsuo to raise a panicked finger up to his mouth.

"You'll wake up the house," he whispered as he motioned for Shinra and Celty to follow him. He led them through familiar corridors to Aiko's house, the rays of dawn just barely peeping through the sky. The three of them managed to make it to their destination unnoticed, and Shitsuo gingerly slid the door open to find Aiko and Sakuraya waiting for them.

The demon immediately rose from his cushion and gave the two of them a deep bow, making Celty jump back in surprise.

"I realize I have not properly thanked you for saving Aiko," Sakuraya explained, beaming as he straightened up.

"There's no need," Shinra assured him, grinning. "I must thank you for taking care of Izaya."

The demon smiled. "No, then I must thank you for taking care of my brother."

 _"Okay, okay,"_ Celty interrupted the two, pointing at the T.V. across from Aiko's bed, which was showing images of a place she and Shinra knew quite well.

"Oh yeah!" Shinra attempted to lower his voice when Shitsuo looked behind him.

"We didn't tell my parents Sakuraya was here," Aiko whispered.

"I was going to my room to get him a hoodie when I heard you at the front door," Shitsuo explained before clapping a hand to his head. "Oh shoot."

"You forgot to pick up this hoodie you keep talking about," Sakuraya concluded before diverting his attention back to the screen. "Anyways, we were watching that strange contraption. There seems to be some commotion in your hometown, yes?" He pointed to the reporter on the program who had suddenly glanced behind him and motioned for the camera to stop. The image cut to old footage of empty streets in broad daylight, the usual bustling place completely still, and then to a murder scene, the body already removed but the blood stains graphic evidence of what had transpired.

"Yes! Yes! That's why we're here!" Shinra attempted to lower his voice yet again when Celty elbowed him in the stomach.

 _"Ikebukuro's on complete lockdown,"_ Celty continued for him. _"We were hoping you would be able to bring us to Izaya."_

Sakuraya frowned. "Is my brother involved? I was not aware he would delve so deeply into human affairs."

Shinra laughed nervously. "Actually, I'm surprised he's not involved. He's quite..."

 _"Well-informed,"_ Celty finished for him before he could dig his hole any deeper.

"Yes! That's why we need to ask him for some advice!" Shinra continued, laughing off his prior words.

"Why don't you call Shizuo? I heard he returned back to Kyoto, but seeing how he's not with you, he's probably with Izaya right now," Shitsuo suggested.

"Oh yeah! Let's do that!" Shinra said, whipping out his phone. "Let's see..." he muttered as he scrolled through the numbers. "I gave him Izaya's old phone too."

"It looks pretty bad," Aiko commented as she continued to watch the news program. "I heard there were yakuza in Ikebukuro, but I'd never imagine them to do something this huge."

 _"Yeah, they're actually usually more discreet about their dealings. We do have smaller gangs though,"_ Celty told her. _"But to act in broad daylight..."_

"Is something wrong?" Shitsuo asked his lover when he noticed the other staring at the television quietly. The screen had cut to a low quality video of the attack, the figure on the footage moving slowly towards the victim. Sakuraya frowned, his eyes narrowing as he studied the image more closely.

"That one looks like a demon."

.

Shizuo's pocket suddenly started vibrating, and he took out a black flip phone, frowning at the blank screen as he attempted to pick up the call. Like before, none of the buttons seemed to work and the call went to voicemail. He sighed, wishing Shinra had given him some sort of warning before giving him the defective phone.

"What's wrong?" Izaya asked before stopping in his tracks. He blinked at the object in Shizuo's hands but no matter which way he looked, there was no mistaking it. "Why do you have my phone?"

"Eh? This is yours?" Shizuo flipped the phone closed when he couldn't get it to work. He handed the gadget to Izaya, who took it gingerly. "Shinra gave it to me after mine got busted in the well. It's been ringing non-stop but I can't even pick up calls."

Izaya grimaced at the cellphone in his hands, now vibrating again as the caller from earlier attempted again. His fingers ghosted over the numbers, reluctant to type in the passcode. He had left Ikebukuro for good, and there was really no reason to pick up any calls now.

He looked up at the bodyguard. "Where did Shinra get this?"

Shizuo shrugged. "Maybe Akabayashi? They seemed pretty close."

Izaya's hands tightened around the screen and after a split second decision he unlocked it, revealing Shinra's name. The little phone felt so comfortable in his hand, like a long lost friend. He saw the icon for the text messages, the number of unread texts now lingering in the thousands. He knew Akabayashi had volunteered to tie up loose ends on the yakuza side, but his other patrons were relentless. He wondered how long it would take them to actually give up, given the sheer volume of messages he had accumulated on this phone alone.

 _'Shit!'_ He realized a second too late when his thumb automatically tapped the screen, opening the texts. He stared at the first message wordlessly as the phone continued to vibrate in his hands.

"What's wrong?" Shizuo asked.

"Looks like Shinra's calling you," Izaya said as he quickly exited the messages, handing the phone to Shizuo.

"Hello?" Shizuo answered, oblivious to what Izaya had read. Shinra's voice echoed from the other end. He paused, glancing at Izaya. "Yeah, he's here. Why?"

Izaya instead looked at his feet, unable to get the single message he saw on the screen out of his mind. It must have been recent since it was the first one that popped up on the display. He bit his lip, wondering if this was fate after all. It must be why Shinra was calling.

The message was from Akabayashi.

_"Call me. Your sisters are in trouble."_


	30. Chapter 30

"What is the meaning of this?" Sakurako gasped the moment her husband and brother-in-law stepped onto the tatami, their battered and bloodied kimonos instantly giving them away. She flinched when she noticed a rather large red stain decorating Takashi's back. Her eyes narrowed. "Where is Izaya?"

"I…" Takashi began, averting his eyes. He did not expect to be forgiven, but he would never allow himself to lie to Sakurako. To his surprise, his brother quickly interjected before he could seal his own fate.

"He is in his room?" Hibiki feigned ignorance.

"He should be, but he is not," she hissed, her wrath redirecting towards him. "Where have you two been?"

"We were looking for Sakuraya, but my brother here was not used to the outside world, so he fell down a ravine," Hibiki explained.

The matriarch inadvertently raised an eyebrow.

' _She's not going to buy that!'_ Takashi mouthed to his brother.

"You fell down," she repeated.

"Uh… yes?"

"A ravine."

"That is correct, my love," Takashi reinforced their story, nodding for good measure. He could feel his heart twist at the very thought of the lies coming out of his mouth.

Sakurako glared at him before looking behind the two brothers. "And where are my two sons? Having ventured out during this delicate time, do you at least know where one of them is?"

"No, Sakurako-sama," Hibiki muttered, trying to think of another way out of this mess. Izaya should be able to reach his destination soon, and Sakuraya… he honestly had no idea where his nephew was. He had assumed Sakuraya had left the compound with the human, but it seemed the two had not yet returned since. He wondered if he should have tried visiting the large house where the human resided but that would have been risky, especially if Takashi was with him.

"I do not appreciate being lied to."

"Sakurako-sama," Hibiki started, but they heard stomping down the hallway and a flash of red threw the doors open, saving him from any further questioning at the moment. He closed his mouth, knowing that this would not bode well. He had never seen Mamoru this flustered before.

"Mamoru, what is going on?" Sakurako asked, her countenance immediately turning into that of worry.

The red-haired demon bowed deeply, his lips trembling slightly, hands clutched around the cellphone Akabayashi had given him before he left Ikebukuro as he tried to find the right words.

"Sakurako-sama, forgive me. It is my son…"

.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to just leave like this?" Shizuo asked, watching their surroundings blur around them as the shinkansen picked up speed.

"I already contacted Mamoru," Izaya replied briskly. He bit his lip. He had also sent a text to Shinra and Celty, and the two had also confirmed that they were headed back to Tokyo, most likely on the train behind theirs

"Unbelievable," Izaya muttered, scrolling down the news site on his phone. "They've requested for everyone to stay indoors or out of Ikebukuro because of the attacks, and…" He paused the video and zoomed in on the footage before snorting at the captions. "Well at least they've attributed it to a cult of cosplayers."

"I don't see how you find this funny," Shizuo muttered.

"I'm laughing at the irony," Izaya replied. "My kind is literally plastered all over social media. If they find out what we actually are then…" he paused, unable to finish that sentence. It would be millions, no, billions like Kawamoto, all after them. He could trust Mamoru and his mother to do the right thing to protect their clan, but the Orihara Clan in Tokyo would be finished.

He bit his lip. He owed it that much to them to not let such a fate befall them.

"Do they even understand what they're doing to themselves?" he muttered under his breath. The fear of the unknown all humans seem to revel in were far more powerful than demons. Guns were far more powerful than demons.

He checked his messages again for any messages from Kururi and Mairu, not that it helped that this was one of the phones he didn't really use as often. He cursed himself for not even remembering their phone numbers.

 _"Have you found them yet?"_ Izaya texted Akabayashi instead for information.

_"No... but the demons seem to be moving... Kinda getting harder to avoid them."_

Izaya bit his lip. If this was all he had to go off of, then he had a lot of work to do when they arrived in Ikebukuro. He looked up when his phone vibrated again.

_"I think Shiki's still in Ikebukuro. Maybe he can help you."_

The informant frowned, not expecting Akabayashi to tell him to go to another yakuza for help. Couldn't the other have asked his associate himself?

_"He hasn't left?"_

_"I told him to, but he refused... We kind of got into an argument over leaving. Didn't help that I told him I was staying to tie up some loose ends."_

_"He's probably worried about you."_

There was a brief pause before the typing icon began flashing again.

_"Lol doubt it."_

.

" _I really don't see how this is a good idea,"_ Celty told Shinra, who shot her a grin.

"It'll be okay! Izaya and Shizuo's going to be there too! We'll probably need all the help we can get," the doctor reassured her.

" _Yes, but he left without telling anyone, right?"_ she nodded to the one sitting in the row in front of them staring with the widest eyes ever at the outside world, hoodie pulled over his horns. Luckily for them, Shinra's pants were the right fit and there was a shoe store on the way back to the hotel.

"Aiko knows. Shitsuo knows."

" _Shitsuo doesn't count! He's sitting right in front of us!"_

"Ah, you worry too much."

.

Hibiki took a deep breath, ducking out of sight when he saw one of the inhabitants of the human compound leave the establishment. He was almost certain that this was where that human child he had attacked resided, and if she was there, Sakuraya must be close by. He had to bring his nephew back to the demons at all costs before word of them got out.

The demon bit his lip. He admitted that even he did not expect Sakurako to act so rashly…

" _I know I cannot keep a parent from his child," Sakurako said to Mamoru, who remained prostrated before her. It was as if he knew what her decision already was._

" _You may go to him, but…" Sakurako's lips quivered, "there is a chance that you may not be able to return to us once your business is finished in Tokyo."_

" _Are we sealing the barrier so soon?" Hibiki asked. He admitted that he did agree with such a decision, but at the moment both Sakuraya and Izaya were missing._

_Sakurako nodded. "We will seal the barrier as soon as Sakuraya returns. We cannot allow the humans to find us at such a delicate time."_

" _Wait, what about Izaya-sama?" Hibiki queried despite himself. He could not imagine Sakurako abandoning her eldest son._

_The queen smiled at him, her eyes a deep ocean of sorrow. "No barrier can keep that child in. You took him to regain his memories, did you not?"_

_Both Mamoru and Hibiki gaped at her._

_Sakurako looked at the red-haired demon. "Since he has not returned, I am assuming that he had broken my spell with that human. It is unfathomable, really."_

" _Sakurako-sama…" Hibiki began, but she held up a hand to stop him._

" _Please… bring Sakuraya back. We will seal the barrier then."_

" _What of…" he attempted to ask about Shitsuo but stopped when their eyes met._

" _For the future of the demons, Hibiki."_

Hibiki took a deep breath and snuck into the house. He entered the open compound easily enough, hiding in the shadows whenever one of them approached. The demon peered into each room briefly, not finding traces of his nephew anywhere.

"Shitsuo-sama, is that you?" one of the humans called out, and he heard footsteps towards him.

"Tch." Hibiki slipped into the closest room, sliding the door shut quietly as he waited for the footsteps to pass. He let out a breath, but his ears pricked up when he noticed breathing behind him. He had been so preoccupied with the other human that he forgot to check for one in this room. Hibiki turned around slowly, wondering how he would be able to get out of this mess without any casualties. The last thing he needed was Sakuraya to lash out at him for almost killing another human.

A pair of familiar brown eyes stared back at him.

"It's you…" he gasped.

"If you're looking for Sakuraya, he's not here," she grimaced.

He took a moment to compose himself, knowing full well what the other must feel, talking to her attacker like this now. She was alive, yes, but looked a little worse for wear. If she were a demon, such wounds would have healed by now, yet he saw the bandages peeping out from the collar of her yukata, a testament to his crime. Humans were such fragile creatures. Just one wrong move and they could die.

He could not even fathom what Izaya must have gone through these many years living among them.

They were easily broken, yet so full of life. 

' _Where did he go?'_ Hibiki tried to keep to his objective, but a completely different set of words blurted from his lips.

"I am sorry."

The girl gaped at him, caught off guard. He watched her silently as her features relaxed, and her lips curved into a smile.

"You love him, don't you?"

His eyes widened. This one had inhuman intuition, possibly even rivaling that of Sakurako's. He finally bowed his head, nodding a silent affirmative.

The smile remained on her lips. "I do too."

He looked up, and she continued, her eyes far away as she turned to the trees outside her window. "But just because I love him doesn't make him mine."

"Where is he now?" he finally managed. Sakurako looked at him.

"They went to Tokyo."

"What?" Hibiki nearly yelled. "Why?"

Aiko's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Did you not hear? There are apparently demons in Ikebukuro as well."

Hibiki bit his lip. They have already been exposed there? Mamoru had merely made it sound like his half-breed son was in trouble, but he did not realize the situation was that dire after the late Orihara's passing.

She seemed to read his mind and explained, "Well, the media is thinking that there's a cult of humans who wears horns on their foreheads, but…" She paused, looking down at her hands. "Apparently it's gotten so bad that they're thinking about quarantining Ikebukuro."

"Why would Sakuraya-sama…"

"He was quite distraught that demons would go around killing senselessly like that and wanted to give them a piece of his mind." She sighed. "Something like that anyway."

"The Orihara family is not something that he should be responsible for!" Hibiki growled.

"Yeah, tried that argument. Obviously it didn't work."

Hibiki regarded her for a moment. "You tried to stop him?"

The human nodded. "Of course. Izaya's more equipped to handle such a situation anyway, correct? From what it sounds like, he is already on his way there himself."

Hibiki stood up.

"Where are you going?" she inquired.

"To Ikebukuro. I cannot let any harm befall Sakuraya-sama."

"You're going alone?"

"Of course. I will inform Sakurako-sama first of course, lest she chooses to…" he stopped himself before he gave away that they were going to seal the demons off from the outside world. "Why?" he instead turned the questioning to her.

The girl shrugged. "Well, I just have trouble imagining you taking the shinkansen, looking like that." She looked away hintedly. "That's all."

Hibiki raised an eyebrow. "Are you offering to help me?"

"I have a name, you know."

Hibiki frowned, not expecting this human female to toy with him like this. He swallowed his pride and bowed. If this would get him to Sakuraya-sama before any harm befalls his nephew, then this was nothing. "My name is Hibiki. May I ask for yours?"

The human smiled. "Aiko."


	31. Chapter 31

"This must be the place," Izaya muttered to himself as he double-checked the address Akabayashi had sent him. He pulled on his hood for good measure to make sure the horns were out of sight. 

"Looks shady," Shizuo commented as the two of them entered the unassuming door hidden away in this empty back alley. Izaya spotted the security camera and two henchmen immediately and nearly let out a sigh of relief. The demons had not attacked this hideout yet.

"What business do you have here?" one of the men asked, barring their way. "I don't remember Shiki saying anything about visitors today."

"It's an emergency meeting," Izaya replied. "And don't give away his name so easily to anyone who enters."

"Huh?" the man stuttered. "Y-you're Izaya Orihara! I thought you had left Ikebukuro!"

Izaya nearly grimaced. He didn't have any time for nonsense like this. "Well, now I'm back. Are you going to let his best informant through or not?"

"Y-yes!" The man nodded to his colleague and the two stepped aside to allow them onto the elevator.

"They're awfully afraid of you," Shizuo observed after the elevator doors closed.

Izaya shrugged. He honestly didn't remember anyone in the yakuza treating him with such fear before. Yes, they were always suspicious of him, but not to the extent of such misplaced fear. He wondered if it was due to all the tension lately with the demons attacking Ikebukuro. The elevator doors swung open to the 5th floor and the two stepped out into the hallway when Izaya suddenly remembered. Those two were at the clean-up last time with him and Shiki. They must have seen him throw the man across the room when he lost control.

The informant bit his lip as he stood in front of door 503. He hoped they haven't made too many presumptions yet.

"You've been missed, Orihara," the yakuza executive commented when the two of them entered the room. The ones on the first floor must have messaged him about Izaya heading up. Izaya noted the noticeably beefed up security; Shiki usually didn't meet his clients while surrounded by so many bodyguards.

"I had to visit some family. Got stuck staying longer than planned," Izaya replied. He accidentally met eyes with the other under his hood, and he knew that Shiki saw. He recognized that expression, albeit faint and almost expertly hidden by the yakuza executive's mask, but undeniably there. They were the eyes that abhorred the unknown, the same eyes that had burned so intensely with distrust, the same that had killed Tsugaru.

The informant took a deep breath, trying to ignore the numbness that suddenly took him. Not this time, he told himself. Never again.

"No more hiding for me, Shiki." He lowered his hood, and he heard the guns instantaneously take aim. He focused his gaze on the one in charge. Shiki was a smart man, and he'll bet on that to get him through this mess. He bowed.

"I need your help." He raised his head, staring straight into the other's eyes with his own blood red ones.

Shiki studied Izaya for a moment. From all the hints Akabayashi had been dropping, he had not expected the informant to return to him, least of all in this state. The boy had always been dangerous, no doubt, but inhuman was the last thing he would imagine, given how much the other claimed to love humans. His eyes moved from the horns back to those slit blood red eyes. He recognized that expression. Izaya had sometimes given himself away when he was pondering. The informant's eyes were tired back then, almost ready to give up. Now, something faint burned in them, its life clinging on to a small spark. Why else would Izaya have come back to Ikebukuro?

"That's rare, coming from you," the yakuza executive finally replied, raising his hand for his men to lower their weapons. He frowned when only half of them complied. "Is this the right way to treat our guests?"

"But sir..." one of them stuttered. "H-he's..."

"I know what he is," Shiki replied coolly.

"That means this entire time, he's been tricking us!"

Izaya looked to Shiki impatiently. This was a stupid way to waste their precious time. "Akabayashi contacted me, but I haven't been able to reach him for a few hours now."

Shiki breathed in, unconsciously holding his breath. "You aren't the only one." He looked back at one of the bodyguards. "Do I need to repeat myself?"

"S-sir..."

That man also had the same eyes, ones filled with fear, with distrust of the unknown. They were Kawamoto's eyes, the same as the ones from long ago. He felt Shizuo tense up beside him and unconsciously grabbed the other's hand.

"Please don't do anything reckless, Shizu-chan."

"But..." the other began to retort when the man accidentally fired. Izaya was quicker, however, and ducked, dragging Shizuo down with him just as the bullet whizzed above their heads.

"Ah!" The man took a step back, finally realizing what he had done, when the others grabbed him, wrestling the gun out of his tense fingers. "Shiki, I'm sorry!"

"Take him away. I'll deal with him later," Shiki told the others. He eyed the rest of the men in the room. "Leave us. I will not forgive any more mishaps."

Izaya finally let out a breath when the rest of those cursed weapons left the room. He knew Shiki had one on him of course, but at least it wasn't pointed at him. "Usually you don't give them out so easily," he muttered.

Shiki leaned back on the sofa casually. "Hard to justify keeping them away now that several of my men have died."

Izaya bit his lip. This was much worse than he thought. "They've already evacuated most of Ikebukuro. Why would you stay?"

The yakuza executive took a long drag from his cigarette. "And let the demons win against us? You've hurt my pride." He leaned over to put out the cancer stick on the ashtray before straightening up again. "Now, what can I help you with today, Orihara?"

Izaya gulped when the word "demons" left Shiki's mouth. The yakuza executive sensed the other's unease and smirked. "Oh come on. Did you think that I would believe that a rival criminal organization would let themselves be called 'a cult of cosplayers' when they're trying to take over Ikebukuro?"

"I suppose not."

A knock prompted them to look up, and Izaya suppressed a gasp when a flash of red stepped into the room.

"S-sorry, we couldn't stop him," one of the men stuttered behind the imposing newcomer. Shiki's subordinate was holding his own arm tenderly, most likely sprained when he tried to stop the intruder in front of him. "He said he was related to Akabayashi, and..."

"My apologies for the sudden visit," Mamoru said, bowing. "My name is Mamoru."

"Shiki," the yakuza executive offered his name in return. He motioned for his subordinate to leave.

"But sir!" The man looked from Izaya and Shizuo to Mamoru.

"Go take care of that arm."

"Y-yes, sir!"

The room was finally quiet again when Mamoru closed the door behind him. Shiki eyed the newcomer cautiously, waiting for his informant to make the first move. The two obviously knew each other, judging from the look on Izaya's face.

"I didn't think Mother would allow you to leave so suddenly," Izaya finally broke the silence.

"Mizuki texted me," Mamoru explained. "I did not know the situation was so dire. You had only said you had to rush back because your sisters needed help." His eyes narrowed, causing Izaya to inwardly shudder. He had never really seen Mamoru this angry before. "I would say this extends far beyond just the Orihara Clan at this point if the entirety of Ikebukuro is in this state."

"You weren't supposed to leave! You know Mother is about to..." Izaya trailed, suddenly remembering the others in the room. He saw Shiki eye them with the utmost interest, most likely waiting for him to let something like this slip. He sighed. "Sorry, Mamoru. I didn't want anyone else involved."

"This is my son we're talking about."

Izaya nodded. "I know."

"Well then, shall we begin on a plan of action then?" Shiki finally interjected, satisfied that he had heard this much of the backstory. As much as he wanted them to continue, if Akabayashi's phone was already dead, then they had no more time to spare.

.

Mairu tore down the escalators to Sunshine City, ducking behind one of the alcoves to catch her breath. She hoped their assailants had both opted to follow her when she split up with Kururi, but given her limited knowledge of demons, they would have noticed the moment the two of them moved in opposite directions. As predicted, only one set of footsteps stepped off the stairs and slowed to a deliberate walk.

' _Now's as good a time as any,'_ she decided as the steps echoed louder and louder while their owner approached her.

The younger Orihara twin jumped out from her hiding place just as the demon rounded the corner and aimed a well-placed kick right to the other's face. Her attack connected full force, causing the demon to take a step back.

He looked up, the small scuff she had caused paling as it healed.

' _Shit shit shit!'_ Mairu jumped backed and tried to trip him, but he was too fast for her, countering simply by moving his leg away and stomping on her calf as it passed the air where his legs should have been. A loud crack resonated through the empty passageway, and Mairu screamed, trying to pull away to no avail as the demon's foot mercilessly pressed her broken leg harder against the floor.

Suddenly, the weight was off, and Mairu drew her leg to her chest, the tears threatening to spill out. ' _Sorry Kururi…'_

To her surprise, no further blows came, and she looked up to see the demon staring at her, his mouth drawn in a thin line.

"It is a shame really," he finally spoke. "I really do not enjoy hurting those weaker than me."

"You're the ones who started it!" Mairu snapped. "What have we ever done to you?"

Her outburst seemed to have the opposite effect she wanted, snapping him out of his momentary reverie. He slowly picked her up by the collar, and she supposed that the lessened weight on her broken leg was the one blessing in this mess as he lifted her off the floor. His blood red slit pupils, eyes of a true demon, met hers.

"You took our matriarch from us, and she left us without a suitable heir."

Mairu glared at him through the pain. "Then pick a suitable one, you idiots! It's not hard."

His hands shifted and were on her throat. His eyes flashed dangerously as his grip tightened on the progeny of his much beloved matriarch. "Only a demon outside of the main family can assume the role of leader if the matriarch names him as such or if all with her blood passes on."

He sighed. He didn't mean to draw out her death, but he did feel the slightest bit guilty at killing the young one. As human as she is, she still had the blood of a demon running through her veins. "If you want to blame someone, blame her. With you still in this world, we cannot move on." He paused. "I am sorry."

A sudden force suddenly slammed into him just as he tightened his grip, throwing him across the hall and making him drop the girl. Mairu crumpled to the floor, gasping for air and clutching her broken leg.

"If you were truly sorry, then don't go around picking on little girls, eh?"

The demon glared at the newcomer, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Do not interfere with our affairs, half-breed."

"Now that isn't too nice," Akabayashi replied, grinning as he tapped his cane on his shoulders. He knew he couldn't hold a full demon off for long, and he glanced at Mairu, about to tell her to run when he noticed her leg, now visibly bent in an odd direction.

_'Ah, that's not good...'_

.

Kururi turned the corner and ducked behind the dumpster, trying to make herself as small as possible in its shadow. The attempt seemed to work, and the footsteps ran past her. It was then she dared let out the breath she had been holding in, her lungs screaming for air from all the running.

The fading footsteps stopped.

' _Crap!'_

She went through the options through her head, finding none of them plausible at the moment; she was far too tired.

' _Sorry Mairu,'_ she thought as the now deliberately slow footsteps drew closer like a predator closing on its prey.

She suddenly felt a hand over her mouth and tried to wrestle free from its owner, elbowing her attacker swiftly. The hand let her free only to grab her wrist lightly, as she realized who she had nearly knocked out.

"This way," Aoba mouthed, his face contorted in pain as he massaged his ribs tenderly. He led her quietly out of the alleyway into the open only to rush into one of the buildings in the area. It was deserted now of course, and the two sprinted up the stairs. Kururi kept looking behind her, hoping that the demon had not followed them now that they had trapped themselves in a building. They stopped in front of a blank door to one of the offices, and she stopped to breathe while Aoba picked the lock.

"Got it!" he whispered triumphantly, and the two of them slipped into the room, locking the door behind them.

"Plenty of places to hide here until help comes," Aoba commented, slipping under a desk to catch his breath as he took out his phone.

.

"Mairu and Kururi will have split up if they were both being chased," Izaya muttered as he looked at the map of Ikebukuro.

 _'Akabayashi last texted me that he was heading towards Sunshine City... so...'_ He looked up at Mamoru. The older demon seemed perplexed by something. He supposed it was only normal since his own son has gone missing. Izaya gulped. He hoped it was only because Akabayashi's phone had run out of batteries. Mamoru was never the violent type, but he could only guess the amount of power hidden behind that well-built exterior. Not to mention, anyone can lose control. He couldn't have his friend killing a fellow demon during this fiasco of a "turf war" started by the Orihara Clan, not when Akabayashi had stuck his nose in, for Izaya's sake or not.

His one phone suddenly buzzed, indicating a new message. Izaya grabbed it, not expecting _him_ of all people to message him.

"Okay, I have a general idea of where they are."

"Where will you have me go?" Mamoru instantly volunteered. Izaya made a split second decision and read him the coordinates from Aoba's message.


	32. Chapter 32

' _Shit, why can't I heal as fast as he does?'_ Akabayashi swung down at the demon's jaw with what little strength he had left only to finally have his cane fly away from his hand. A clang resonated with a strange finality through the underground hall as his weapon hit the ground, rolling away deliberately before it slowed to a stop.

Akabayashi felt his legs give way, and he fell unceremoniously to the floor. He had put up a good fight, he admitted to himself, as a regular human would have been dead by now. He supposed he was lucky none of his broken ribs from the two punches the other had landed had punctured his lungs. He immediately retracted that thought when the demon kicked him one more time in the stomach for good measure.

"Ack!" He let out a hacking cough, feeling the blood collect in his throat. Akabayashi looked over at the Orihara girl, finding her crawling towards him. ' _No! What are you doing?'_

"I'm sorry," she choked out, eyes wide with anticipation as she looked up at their attacker towering above them.

The demon regarded the two of them for a moment and finally raised a hand up for the final blow.

"Wait, Shiki!" a new voice, one Akabayashi had not heard from in a while, yelled. The demon paused and eyed his new enemy, his eyes widening when he saw the company the human brought with him.

Akabayashi dared to look up and met eyes with his longtime colleague. However, the expression he saw on the other now was unlike any he had ever seen before. He had always seen them calculating, confident, and occasionally cordial when there was a client, but those dark eyes now were furious, a pitch black, and there was something else in them, something... The thoughts stopped there as he let out another hacking cough and tried in vain to take in some air.

That action seemed to be the trigger for Shiki. A series of sequential pops, one after another, followed, and the demon took two steps back, clutching his chest to stem the blood that spilled out.

"Ugh," the demon groaned as he fell to one knee, unable to heal from the one unfortunate bullet that had lodged itself in his clavicle. His abdomen had already begun healing, but the initial attack had knocked the wind out of him.

"Tch," Shiki spat as he reloaded his handgun with a new magazine. He raised the weapon swiftly and aimed for the demon's head, right between the horns.

Before he could fire the final round, another demon replaced his range of vision.

"Move, Orihara," he demanded, almost unable to contain the dripping anger in his voice.

"You've done enough. I will deal with him," Izaya declared, his pupils red slits. Shiki could see the anger in them, much reflective of his own. He did not know if it was directed at the monster lying on the ground behind the informant or himself, but at this moment, he could care less. All he wanted was for the demon who attacked Akabayashi to die.

The two of them stared each other down, each unwilling to budge.

"You're not planning to kill him, are you?" Shiki whispered, moving his gun to Izaya's heart. "You know I cannot allow such a transgression."

"Demons are not allowed to kill or fight each other. My doing nothing and letting you kill this poor soul here would be an inconvenience for the future."

Shiki snorted, nodding to the one behind Izaya. "Are you sure your poor soul would be saved when he stabs you in the back? They're willing to kill their own blood just to satisfy their so-called rules."

"Well, for society to run, rules must be enforced. Our interpretations may be a tad different, but I'm sure we can figure something out." Izaya smiled cordially, and Shiki recognized some of the life returning to the other's eyes. He had forgotten the last time he had seen the informant this passionate. The yakuza executive could almost see the wheels turning in the informant's head.

Shiki blinked and finally laughed, the tension between them momentarily cut. "That is one thing that I would have never expected to come from your mouth."

Izaya shrugged, sensing the de-escalation, and he motioned to Akabayashi and his sister. "They need a doctor."

"I can see that." Shiki lowered his gun.

Izaya met eyes with the demon, blood red ones reflective of his own, and the two of them remained silent as Shiki and his men began to move Mairu and Akabayashi to their cars on the streets above.

"It's okay, I got you," Akabayashi could hear someone whisper as he was hoisted to his feet. He attempted to support himself out, but even that proved too much for him at this point. He collapsed again and let his entire weight lean on the man next to him. Akabayashi grinned and let the darkness take him for the time being. Shinra was a good doctor after all.

"Akabayashi!" That was definitely Shiki's voice. He smiled and let out a breath.

"Shit!" Shiki began to lift his colleague up when someone stopped him.

"It'll be faster if I..." Shizuo trailed off, looking from the hopefully only unconscious man in his arms back at Izaya, who gave him a curt nod.

"I'll be fine," Izaya mouthed to him, and Shizuo looked back to Shiki, who nodded. The fortissimo of Ikebukuro lifted the man effortlessly and darted out of the passage with Shiki close behind.

Izaya and the demon were suddenly alone in the underground walkway, the sound of rain echoing from the streets outside indicating that a storm was passing through.

"Unbelievable," Izaya finally hissed, bending down to eye level with the other demon.

"If you find it so repulsive, then why did you save me?" the demon asked carefully as Izaya examined the wound. He bit back a cry when the demon prince dug his nails in mercilessly.

"Consider yourself lucky. If I had sent Mamoru, you'd be dead by now."

_'Shiki definitely went beyond my expectations through...'_

He bit his lip, waving the thought away. "I need you to tell me who is behind all of this."

The demon almost laughed, making Izaya stop the work on his shoulder to look at him. "That is hardly a reason."

"Your point?"

"You were able to find us down here so easily. I highly doubt that you will need one such as I to tell you what you already know." He groaned when Izaya suddenly ripped out the bullet and clutched at his chest, feeling the wound close.

Izaya shook the blood from his hands before digging out a handkerchief to clean off the remaining mess. "I sensed regret in you."

The demon made no comment at this.

"What did you see in me? You could have attacked me earlier when I had my back turned and probably taken out Shiki too since he was so distracted."

The demon finally smiled, a genuine almost child-like sparkle in his eyes. "I saw her." He pointed at Izaya. "In you."

Izaya contemplated that statement. It was his initial intention after all, but he never expected the other to bring it up. "Do you think it's plausible?"

The demon nodded. "Kyouko did 'adopt' you after all. Like you said, everything has been unbelievable. A few strings can always be pulled."

Izaya regarded him for a moment. "Then what of the one who started this? You pledged your allegiance to him just a little too easily."

The demon bowed his head, eyes downcast. "We are weak without her, Izaya-sama. Our judgement has been clouded by these many years mixing with the humans. But you..." he looked up the demon prince. "How have you not lost to them? You who have walked among them for already a century..."

Izaya shook his head, thinking of Tsugaru. "I had help."

.

"Everything's going to be alright," Aoba whispered when he saw Kururi staring blankly out the window. "I've already texted your brother." He made a small scowl. "I hate to admit it, but he's got more resources than I do at the moment with Ikebukuro evacuated and all."

"Izaya's not in Ikebukuro."

"Huh?"

He waited for an explanation but received no response.

"Wait, so the rumors are true?"

Kururi hugged her knees tighter. "He's not coming back."

Aoba frowned. "That's..." he stopped, finding himself unable to prod any further. This wasn't the time to dwell on what they didn't have. "Who else is here then?" he muttered to himself. It was then he heard it: footsteps outside. "Shit!" he mouthed, motioning for Kururi to come off the table and hide under the desks with him. "How did he track us?"

"He probably never lost me in the first place," Kururi whispered back. "It's like a game for them."

"Shit," Aoba cursed again for good measure. The footsteps stopped in front of their door, and the handle turned slowly. Finding the office locked, their assailant took the liberty of pulling the metal door clean off of its hinges.

The demon sighed as he leaned the door against the wall in the corridor. "Why defy the inevitable?" he announced himself to them as he stepped into the office. The sound of thunder outside echoed out any response the two would have given him. He peered around the desk, instantly spotting his target. Aoba gritted his teeth and jumped to his feet, putting himself between the demon and Kururi.

"Did you not hear me the first time?" he asked the boy, peering down at the teenager. "Why defy the inevitable? Why defy us?"

"Why are you targeting her?" Aoba returned the questions with one of his own.

"That is not of your concern." The demon sighed, a tired, lonely sound.

"You..." Aoba began, but the other regained his resolve quickly enough before Aoba could use it to his advantage.

"Now..." He took a step towards Aoba and picked him up by the collar before he could react. "Out of my way, human," the demon growled before tossing him aside. Aoba flew across the office and slammed into the wall, sliding to the floor in a heap, groaning.

"Aoba!" Kururi yelled as she ducked under the demon and ran to his side.

"Forget about me! R-run!" Aoba urged her through the pain. His head was still spinning from the impact, and he could barely make out Kururi through the stars.

"Run!" Aoba yelled when he finally saw the demon right behind his classmate.

The demon sighed and aimed a well placed strike at the back of Kururi's neck. The younger Orihara twin whirled around in time to see the claws stop millimeters away from her wide eyes, held back by another clawed hand.

"What are you doing?" Mamoru growled at the other demon, his eyes a dangerous red.

"M-Mamoru!" Kururi stuttered.

The demon swung at Mamoru, and he grabbed the other arm, squeezing down until they heard a crack. The other shook him off with a cry and jumped back a distance. "Why are you meddling in our affairs?"

"You know it is sacrilege to kill another demon," Mamoru replied, his voice low and dangerous.

The demon pointed at Kururi furiously with his good arm. "Her very existence is sacrilege to our kind!"

Mamoru took a step towards him. "Are you saying that you would kill me to get to one of your own matriarch's blood?"

The demon flinched. "We are unable to move on until they are cleansed."

"If that is the only case, then why have you terrorized the entirety of Ikebukuro in doing so?"

The demon straightened up, seeming to find new resolve. "We will claim it back as our birthright. Why must we always live in hiding from the humans?"

"And that gives you the right to kill those weaker than you? That makes you no different from them."

That seemed to have struck a chord in the other, and the demon hesitated, unable to find a response. He finally looked down at his healing arm. "I will withdraw for today. They will find the twins eventually, and we will reclaim Ikebukuro," he seemed to be saying more to himself than the others.

Mamoru sighed, a look of pity on his face. "You do not know what you are getting into."

The demon's eyes grew wide. "Are you saying that the humans will win?"

"One with a gun can take down a hundred of us."

The red eyes hesitated yet again before narrowing, unable to accept what he had just heard. "Ridiculous." With that, he was gone.

Mamoru did not pursue him and instead looked down to Kururi, who was attempting to help Aoba to his feet.

"Let us get you and him to someplace safe."


	33. Chapter 33

"Shinra?" Izaya called out before he suddenly realized that the front door was unlocked. He stepped cautiously into the doctor's apartment, slightly unsettled at the silence that greeted him. He tried to be rational as he headed over to the spare room Shinra kept for the worst of his patients. The others must have been in a rush earlier, so they'd forgotten to lock the front door. The untouched furniture in the otherwise empty living room reassured him, and he heard some muffled voices coming from the room in question.

Izaya opened the door slowly, letting out the breath he had been holding when he saw the heart monitor flickering a steady rhythm. Shinra was adjusting the IV pump on one side of the bed, while Shiki kept vigil on the other, eyes far away as he watched the quiet rise and fall of Akabayashi's chest, a testament of the life the other still clung to. Mamoru echoed similar sentiments, choosing to observe the scene from the other side of the room near the window.

The machine blared to life as it began infusing the new bag, and the doctor finally turned his attention to Izaya, motioning him with a nod for them to talk outside. After a final glance at Akabayashi, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully save for the mountain of bloodied bandages he could see under the thin sheets, Izaya followed the doctor outside.

He closed the door softly behind him.

"He'll survive," Shinra finally spoke. "If he weren't a half-demon, he probably would've died. He's actually healing quite fast now that I've realigned all his bones. I was surprised."

"Still, it's amazing how much human blood can dilute ours," Izaya muttered more to himself than his friend. Wounds like that would have been easy for a demon to heal.

"Well, it depends on the mix of genes, right? I think there's still a chance for a descendent of a demon to express some of their ancestor's traits more than others, assuming the right conditions."

Izaya raised an eyebrow. "Are you referring to Shizu-chan?" Now, that would have explained the other's monstrous strength.

Shinra shrugged. "Just hypothesizing like usual."

Izaya sighed, massaging his temple. He'd forgotten how eccentric Shinra became in regards to what humans considered "supernatural."

"Did you see Kururi and Mairu too?"

"Mairu's leg was bent all weird, but it started healing up nicely after I aligned it, just like Akabayashi. Shiki's already moved your sisters to a safe location after I treated them."

"That's good." Izaya sighed. "Thanks for coming back so fast."

"Shizuo's on the balcony if you wanted to talk to him, and…" Shinra closed his mouth, managing to stop himself mid-sentence. It took all he had to not blurt out that Sakuraya was somewhere in the city, as he had been made to promise the younger demon prince that he would not tell Izaya lest the latter panicked. He let out a sigh of relief when Izaya seemed to take what he said at face value and headed towards the balcony.

 _"You didn't tell him?"_ Celty asked, appearing from around the corner with a handful of medications she had dug out from the storage room.

Shinra shook his head. "Sakuraya can take care of himself. Besides, he's got Shitsuo with him too!"

_"I don't think either of them can fend off a demon like the one who attacked Akayabashi."_

Shinra bit his lip, looking back at the sickroom. "I'm sure they'll be fine. Probably."

Izaya found Shizuo smoking on the balcony while gazing out into the quiet city landscape, eerily void of any of the usual sounds of sirens and voices. The rain had stopped earlier, leaving behind the distinctive smell of wet pavement, quite unlike the forests back in Kyoto.

"How did it go?" the other asked him as he slid the glass door closed behind him.

Izaya let out a heavy sigh, leaning on the railing. "He told me the information I needed. Honestly, it went pretty well except for the part where Shiki almost killed me. I didn't expect him to lose control."

"Yeah, people tend to lose control when the ones they care about are in danger."

Izaya turned to look at him, eyes tracing Shizuo's silhouette outlined by the street lights down below. "And you? Would you lose control if I was the one in danger?"

"Don't test me, flea," the other growled.

Izaya gave him a wide grin before turning his attention back into the city. He felt tranquil, at peace almost, next to the Fortissimo of Ikebukuro, something he could have never imagined these past years. It reminded him very much of those sunny days back in Kyoto, before the war that took Tsugaru away from him. The memory washed over him gently like a wave, its nostalgia a dull pain that wrapped its hands around his heart.

Shizuo seemed to notice his sudden change in mood and to Izaya's surprise, a warm hand encased his own awkwardly. He could feel Shizuo's fingers tremble slightly, most likely due to embarrassment.

"Thanks for earlier," Shizuo mumbled.

"Earlier?" He couldn't remember doing anything that would warrant a thanks. If anything, he was the one in the other's debt.

"You kept me from attacking that asshole with the gun," the other elaborated.

"Oh!" Izaya remembered now. He had been so preoccupied with trying to get out of there in one piece with Shiki's cooperation that he had thought nothing of it. "Uh… you're welcome."

Shizuo smiled, relieved.

Izaya found himself staring into expressive brown eyes, orbs as warm as the hand that entwined itself into his fingers. Just when did Shizuo pick up these moves?

His breath hitched in his throat and Izaya cleared it nervously, turning his gaze back into the city.

The two stayed like that for a while, neither willing to leave the temporary peace before the inevitable storm.

.

"Likely not here either," Sakuraya muttered as the two stood in the middle of the paved clearing of East Ikebukuro Central Park, the backdrop of trees invaded by the looming skyline of the Sunshine City shopping mall. The rain tapped repeatedly against the umbrella Shitsuo had bought at the station, adding to the melancholy.

Shitsuo's eyes darted around them uneasily as Sakuraya continued to look through the park, jumping nimbly into the small line of trees in search of something he could not see himself. He took the chance to survey their surroundings outside the small green space once again. He found no signs of life under the massive highway looming above the crosswalk to the left nor across the street in the several large anime stores, all currently closed. He had been to Tokyo before, and this haunting emptiness was a stark contrast to the usual bustle of people and cars in this part of the city.

"Sakuraya, I think we should find someplace to stay for the night. We don't want them to catch us off guard in the dark," he finally suggested when the demon prince walked back to him.

Sakuraya sighed, attempting to brush off some of the water from his hoodie. "I suppose you're right. Are you able to contact Shinra on that little box of yours?"

"He said Izaya and Shizuo are currently at his place. Mamoru's son was injured."

Sakuraya bit his lip, trying to suppress his frustration at the senseless violence the demons were causing. He wanted to continue searching, but he knew Shitsuo was right. If the demons of the East had truly gone rogue, then he could only do so much to protect the both of them if they were attacked.

The two of them settled in a hotel room an hour later with a pile of snacks and bentos they had purchased from one of the convenience stores. The front desk didn't ask any questions when the two checked in, although Shitsuo knew that they had their suspicions. No one in their right mind would willingly stay in Ikebukuro at a time like this. He supposed that they were lucky that they had opted to retire before dark; most of the stores closed early in light of the attacks.

"Shitsuo, what is this clear wrap?" Sakuraya asked, holding up a rice ball. The demon had taken many lengths to contain his excitement while inside the convenience store, his eyes sparkling at all the varieties of food.

Shitsuo smiled, taking the rice ball from the other. "It's plastic. We use it a lot to store our food, but it's not edible. You just follow the numbers to open it," he explained as he peeled off the plastic and handed the rice ball back to the demon.

Sakuraya took a tentative bite, the fresh seaweed crunching in his mouth. He swallowed, eyes widest than they've ever been. "Delicious!"

Shitsuo laughed, opening one of the fried chicken bentos they had heated up for them. "What do you usually eat?"

"Hm… mountain vegetables, meat from the forest, fish from the river," Sakuraya pondered. "Our lands cover a huge portion of the forest once you get past the barrier."

"Was that why you were searching the parks and shrines earlier?"

The prince nodded, licking his fingers before he reached for one of the bentos. "I would imagine that they would've stopped the humans from constructing an entire building on top of their home. If all of Ikebukuro is as developed as you say, then the only place that they could be is in one of the open spaces." He took a bite of chicken, enjoying the sweet sauce on his tongue.

"The barrier warps the area inside of it, doesn't it?" Shitsuo inquired.

"To a point. I'd imagine that if we ever undid the spell, the outside land would be pushed quite far apart to accommodate for the space within."

Shitsuo scratched his head. Demons were already difficult enough to understand. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised that they came with an array of strange magics as well. He looked back to Sakuraya only to notice the strangest look on the other's face, realizing that the prince had opened yet another bento, this one full of sushi.

"Is this not cooked?" Sakuraya asked once he swallowed.

"Oh! It's sushi. The meat has already been treated for parasites, so we eat it raw. Try it with some soy sauce and wasabi," he explained as he poured the packets in question on one of the container lids. "You can eat it with your hands too, like this." He picked up one of the tuna sushi and dipped it into the mixture before holding it up for Sakuraya to see.

Before Shitsuo could bring it up to his own mouth, the prince leaned forward and ate the piece of sushi straight from his hand. "A-ah…" Shitsuo stammered as the other chewed contemplatively. "I-it's nowhere close to quality sushi. I can take you to an actual restaurant once this is over."

Sakuraya's eyes lit up. "You'd really take me?"

"Of course."

The brightest grin flashed across the other's face. Shitsuo's heart skipped a beat, and he looked away, unable to contain the furious blush that had made its way across his cheeks. The two continued eating in silence for a while with the T.V. as background noise, the prince entranced by the drama that started to play. Shitsuo glanced over every now and then, searching for the right words to continue the conversation from before. He had been keeping everything cordial since reuniting with the other, but he knew the tension was still there.

"You never told me why you had to move to Osaka," Sakuraya broke the silence first after they had finished all of the food.

"I found a job there at one of the luxury hotels," Shitsuo attempted to explain, but he instantly knew the other didn't buy it. Why would he have left so suddenly without a word? It was obvious he was trying to run away.

"Aren't there many in Kyoto as well? The city looked pretty big from a distance. Even Aiko said so."

Shitsuo looked down at his hands, unintentionally balling them into fists as he tried to calm himself. "It was also for Aiko. I didn't want her to feel like she was holding me back." He sighed. "She was the only reason why my family even tolerated me. I'd give anything to her."

The silence from the other was uncomfortable, and he was beginning to suspect that Sakuraya didn't believe him.

"Even me?" he finally heard a quiet voice.

"Y-you're a prince!" Shitsuo stuttered. "And we're human. We don't live as long as you. I can't sacrifice her happiness for mine." He stopped when he saw tears at the corners of the other's eyes, unable to continue.

"Don't decide on your own what others want." Sakuraya wiped at his eyes. "I know our time is short. I've seen what it has done to Nii-san." The tears did not stop and only added to the frustration that had built up all this time he had spent alone. "I don't want to live with this regret for the rest of my life. I can't believe you would even suggest-" He was cut off by the other's lips on his, the kiss fervent and hungry. It caught the prince by surprise, taking away the rest of his words as he returned the gesture, reveling in its warmth.

He had waited far too long for this.

After a few heated seconds, they finally broke the kiss, and Shitsuo pulled him into a warm embrace, arms trembling.

"I'm sorry, Sakuraya. I really do want you," he whispered.

The demon laughed, wrapping his arms around the other's broad back. "Me too, Shitsuo."

.

Akabayashi blinked, the ceiling slowly coming into focus as he came to before waking with a start, instantly regretting the motion when a sharp indescribable pain made him double over.

"Hey!" Someone beside him exclaimed, and he felt arms around him, easing him back onto the bed. The one they called the Red Demon groaned, finally noticing the bandages around his chest and several IV lines running in his arm. He looked over with bleary eyes to the one who had helped him and saw white.

Akabayashi blinked again.

"Shiki?"

What was the other executive of the Awakusu-kai doing here? The man in question let out a tired sigh and sat back down onto the chair next to the sickbed.

"Have you been here the entire time?" he found himself blurting out despite himself. Shiki chose not to answer and instead averted his eyes. Akabayashi decided on a different approach. "How long have I been out?"

"Only a day," Shiki replied, digging in his jacket for some cigarettes. He found them finally and pulled one out only to realize that he had forgotten his lighter. He stopped, unable to find anything else to do with his hands. "I thought you weren't going to survive." Shiki looked up to see the other offering a lighter to him.

"How'd you get that?" he asked, taking the object from Akabayashi.

"Right there," the other answered, nodding to the table. His clothes were a lost cause with all the blood he had thrown up, but someone had thankfully emptied their pockets on the desk before discarding them.

"Thanks." Shiki lit the cigarette and took a long drag. The nicotine seemed to calm him.

"So your father's a demon?" he finally asked, causing Akabayashi's eyes to widen. He could see the other fight with himself, wondering whether or not he should acknowledge or deny the question.

Akabayashi finally looked away, muttering, "It's not something to parade around."

Shiki took another drag from his cigarette. "I suppose not."

"I thought the official story was supposed to be a gang of cosplayers."

"You should know I wouldn't buy that," Shiki said, causing Akabayashi to snort. He finally smiled in relief, glad that the tension between them had been broken.

"Hey…" Akabayashi said after a while.

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"You could've left Ikebukuro with the rest of the Awakusu-kai executives, but you immediately chose to stay when I said I was planning to hang around for a little bit. Then you went and saved my ass. So thanks."

Shiki averted his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself."

Akabayashi laughed.


	34. Chapter 34

"Any luck?" Shinra asked when he opened the door.

"Barely passable," Izaya lamented as he entered with Shizuo, their hands full of plastic bags. He made a beeline for the sofa, depositing an array of convenience store bentos and bread on the coffee table before plopping himself down on the couch. "Even Russia Sushi wasn't open."

"We found plenty of food though," Shizuo pointed out before taking a seat next to the informant and grabbing one of the melon breads.

"I miss fatty tuna," the informant grumbled, reaching for one of the bentos. He also missed eating at restaurants and analyzing his meals, but he knew he had brought that on himself after all, having gone back to the village.

"Good thing some of the stores are still open though," Shinra noted, looking through the spread when the balcony door opened, the smell of cigarettes lightly permeating the room as Shiki stepped back into the apartment.

"The private restaurants are all closed, if that's what you're wondering," the yakuza informed the others as he slid the glass door closed behind him.

"Tch, of course the chains would stay open. It's not like their owners are in the city anyway," Izaya grumbled before taking a bite of rice. The bland flavors did nothing for his cravings, but he needed the sustenance. He had not used the spell since Kyoto, and he doubted he'd be trying anytime soon given the slight exhaustion that seemed to follow him wherever he went.

Shiki picked the fried chicken bento out of the batch and started on his breakfast as Celty came out of the kitchen with a pot of green tea and some cups.

"Thanks." Izaya carefully took the steaming cup from her, sipping slowly so as to not burn his tongue. He sighed with contentment, enjoying the rich flavors. "Was this from Uji?"

" _We found a shop in Kyoto Station before we left."_

"Yeah, Saku… whoa! Hot!" Celty cut the doctor off abruptly by thrusting a steaming mug in front of his face.

' _Hmm…'_ The movement did not escape Izaya, and he decided to prod, hoping that his suspicions were unfounded. "What were you going to say, Shinra?"

"Oh, n-nothing!" The doctor laughed nervously, attempting to hide his slipup by drinking his tea. "Hot!"

"I could've sworn you were about to say my…" The door to the sickroom opened suddenly, interrupting him as Akabayashi hobbled into the living room, leaning heavily on his cane. The other definitely looked a little worse for wear, obvious bags under his eyes despite the wide grin plastered on his pale face.

"So, what's our plan of attack?" the man asked, fighting the urge to laugh at all the surprised faces in the room. He waved them off dismissively. "Relax, I'm almost healed up anyway."

"That is not considered healed," Shiki commented, nodding at the bandages.

"I'll be fine. The sign of an appetite is a good enough indicator."

"Sit down already," Izaya scolded him as Shiki moved aside for the other yakuza executive. Akabayashi plopped himself on the sofa and grabbed one of the bentos.

"I see we have a breakfast worthy of kings here," he joked as he popped open the container and grabbed a set of chopsticks, proceeding to shove a rather large piece of chicken in his mouth. "But in all seriousness, were you able to find out anything from that demon yesterday?"

Izaya swallowed some of the cold curry he had been chewing on. "You don't want to wait for Mamoru?"

"Oh yeah!" Akabayashi seemed to have finally noticed the one missing from the room. "Where did Dad go?"

"He said something about collecting information before he left this morning," Shizuo told him.

"I keep telling him not to do my job," Izaya muttered, a little discontented that his friend would go out and gather information without him. Mamoru had been the one who insisted for Shizuo and him to go search for food instead.

As if the older demon were listening to their conversation, a knock at the door indicated that the other had returned. Celty opened the door for Mamoru, whose solemn expression only showed that he had not found anything particularly useful.

"He's back now," Shiki stated, turning back to Izaya, "So, did you manage to get a name from the filth that you saved?"

Izaya shrugged off the animosity in the other's voice. "Uta," he told them.

"Like a song?" Akabayashi asked as he offered one of the bentos to Mamoru.

"She was the late Orihara-sama's closest confidant. I thought she would be the one to support Orihara-sama's wishes," Mamoru explained as he took the box from his son.

"Well if it's her, then it makes sense how so many of them would go and do something so crazy so fast. She has pretty good rapport with the rest of the clan," Izaya reasoned. "Although, it does seem a little odd. She never struck me as someone who would do something like this."

"You must know where they are then, since they are your family," Shiki interjected.

"Wait wait," Izaya stopped him, wondering if he should bother explaining everything from the beginning. It was none of the yakuza's business, but if he wanted the other's cooperation, he supposed he should offer some information first. "First of all, I'm not actually an Orihara."

He wanted to laugh at the other's blank stare. "Kyouko took me in when I was in Tokyo, so I lived with Mairu and Kururi. The main house didn't let them in, and I never found the need to visit."

"I wasn't asking where you lived, Izaya-san." The other seemed to regain his composure, and Izaya knew exactly what Shiki had in mind.

"We're not going to storm their compound, Shiki."

"They've brought this on themselves. How else do you think we could resolve this?"

"Actually, I went to the Orihara Clan's main house today. They've sealed off access to the outside world," Mamoru spoke up before the sparks could fly any further.

"Well break it then," the yakuza executive growled.

"The barrier spell is strong, so it actually cannot be taken down and replaced as easily as you may think. It is not something one uses if one wishes to go in and out at will," the demon explained. "Since some of them have sealed themselves in, I do not think the entire clan is involved in the attacks. The rest must be waiting for the conflict to resolve itself."

"So we'll need to find this Uta person then," Shizuo mumbled.

"That is correct," Mamoru told him. "It is likely that she still has quite a few of the others with her, given that we have already unfortunately dealt with two demons from the Orihara Clan."

"It doesn't matter how many of them there are," Shiki reinforced. Izaya raised his hand up to stop him.

"Before we continue, please know that I'd like to resolve this without as much bloodshed as possible," Izaya told him sternly.

"You know that would not be possible," Shiki returned. "Why are you so adamant about it anyway? You've never seemed to care."

"Demons do not kill each other," Mamoru explained. "If it devolves to that point during this transition of power, then it is likely that something like this will happen again."

"Tch," Shiki leaned back on the sofa, the tension slightly defused after the older demon's words. "Well…" A buzz sounded through the room, and Shiki picked up his phone, mouth pursed at the interruption.

"Yes?" The yakuza's expression darkened even more. "I see. Don't do anything until I get there." He nodded to the T.V. next to Shinra.

The doctor switched the widescreen on to find it already on the news, a breaking story banner flashing across the screen. Izaya recognized the location as the arcade-lined street outside the west exit of the station, and it took another moment for him to see the message painted neatly in red on the pavement.

" _Ikebukuro belongs to us now."_

He breathed in slowly, eyes trailing to what looked like a blurred object to the side on the road, the likely source of the "paint." They were running out of time.

Shiki stood up abruptly, placing his finished bento on the table. "They've killed one of our men who was patrolling the area. I need to go to calm the others down."

"I'll come with you," Akabayashi started but the other held up a hand. "Stay here. You're not fully recovered."

"But-"

"Shizu-chan will go with him, so you stay here," Izaya stopped him. The bodyguard agreed without a fight and stood up to join the other.

Akabayashi sighed. "Thanks."

"I'll keep you guys updated on the situation," Izaya told them, his eyes meeting Shizuo's. "Stay safe."

"Same to you."

Izaya watched as the door closed behind the two, leaving the room in silence once again before he finally let out a sigh. He placed his empty cup down on the table, turning his attention to Shinra.

"So what were you going to say about Sakuraya and Kyoto Station?"

He watched as the color drained from the other's face before the doctor looked to Celty for help. She shook her head in exasperation.

Izaya's eyes narrowed. Normally, he'd enjoy watching the different reactions from the other, but if what he suspected was true, then he had a much bigger problem on his hands. The doctor promptly prostrated him across the coffee table.

"I'm sorry!" Shinra exclaimed. "Sakuraya and Shitsuo are here in the city!"

Izaya blinked, knowing that Mamoru must have a similar expression on his face. "They're what?"

"Your brother saw the news about the attacks and wanted to give the demons a piece of his mind. I tried to stop them, but he was adamant, so he came with us here."

" _We really did try to stop them. Aiko too,"_ Celty added.

"Where are they now?" Mamoru asked. Izaya could see the cold sweat dripping down his friend's face.

"He's searching the shrines and parks around Ikebukuro for their home."

.

"I can't believe that he would come all the way here," Izaya fumed as they made their way to Koyasu Inari Shrine. It was quite far from the main station and Shinra's house, and their surroundings eventually turned from high rises to individual homes as they entered a residential area. Izaya had to look twice before he spotted the entrance to the shrine, a bright red gate surrounded by walls in the middle of a narrow intersection.

"To imagine that this used to all be a forest," he muttered, following Mamoru through the gate before a strange sensation stopped him in his tracks.

"The barrier is still sealed," Mamoru told him.

"Yeah, I can see that." Izaya frowned, looking around for any signs of his brother. The area seemed empty at the moment, and assuming that neither Shitsuo nor Sakuraya had been to Ikebukuro before, this would not be a location they would seek out first in their search. He sighed, wondering if they should just return for now. Shinra had told him not to worry, but the last thing he wanted was for his brother to come into contact with Uta and her demons.

"Izaya-sama," Mamoru's voice took him out of his reverie. "There is something I think you should know before we decide on our course of action."

"Oh?" He supposed this was something the others were not meant to hear, given how long the other had waited to bring it up. His friend seemed contemplative, turning his gaze to the main shrine building.

"There was a rumor."

"Pardon?" He could only imagine how many rumors the older demon had heard in his lifetime.

"Back when you were up in Hakodate, I spent some time down in Edo to collect information about the war."

"Oh? Were you in contact with the Orihara Clan back then?"

"I merely informed them of my presence since Edo was quite close to their ancestral home. The humans had started building quite close to them, so they would send out patrols regularly to gather information about the war."

"Hmm, so I take it that some of them must have gotten too close to the humans, like Orihara-sama," Izaya mused.

Mamoru nodded. "One of them was Uta. I heard that she even had a child with her human lover."

"That doesn't make sense." Izaya gently touched one of the trees, feeling its ancient rough bark under his fingertips. "Why would she order the others to attack humans like this then? Unless…" he trailed off, suddenly feeling very cold.

Mamoru nodded solemnly. "Apparently, someone had found out about her nature. I heard the humans came and slaughtered her family while she was at a meeting back at the Orihara household. They were gone by the time she returned."

Izaya's hands tensed, and he barely managed to control himself at the last moment as a piece of bark fell to the floor. He stepped back from the tree to avoid damaging it further. So, Uta was like him, he thought bitterly. If she had gone through the same tragedy, then he couldn't say that he didn't understand why she was doing this right now. He breathed in unevenly, trying to rationalize his thoughts. He needed to analyze this new information objectively.

Kawamoto had purposely led him into the forest that day, alone. The humans had waited for his father to visit Yoichi's father before attacking. He remembered that much from what they told him after the fact.

Something here seemed off.

"They purposely waited for her to leave the house before attacking?" Izaya muttered under his breath.

A rustle in the trees broke his train of thought as he instantly took a defensive stance, not trusting his own body to move instinctively like it used to.

Mamoru positioned himself in front of him as a demon came out from around the shrine building, bowing before he approached the two. The other looked relatively young, his horns barely the length of the first joint of his smallest finger.

"What are you doing outside the barrier?" Mamoru asked.

Izaya raised an eyebrow at that statement. He thought that the barrier was difficult to manipulate.

"They sent me as a messenger. We heard that Izaya-sama had returned to Edo," the young demon replied.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm only here because you're about to expose us to the humans," Izaya returned. "I know how it will end if this continues."

The demon nodded. "We'll be exterminated, right?"

Izaya nodded, lips pursed. "Yes."

The other smiled and reached into his sleeve, removing a round object wrapped in a cloth before offering it to the two. "We wish for you to have this."

Izaya raised an eyebrow as the other moved the fabric slightly to reveal a glowing sphere, its contents shifting beneath the glass like entrapped smoke.

"A memory orb?" Mamoru inquired, seemingly unfazed by the offering.

The other demon nodded. "Uta-sama's, to be precise. I have been instructed to give it to you."

Izaya took the object gingerly, careful not to touch the glass. He could feel the warmth through the cloth, its call almost ethereal.

"And what am I supposed to do with this?"

The demon smiled. "We hope that it will serve you well in your answer."

Izaya grimaced at the orb and looked up to ask the other for more information, but the demon was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some references:
> 
> Uji is a city south of Kyoto famous for their green tea. Their matcha is distinguished from other teas (ex. Uji matcha Kit Kats vs. matcha Kit Kats).
> 
> Uta (歌) means "song."
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!


	35. Chapter 35

“Shizu-chan’s not back yet?” Izaya asked as he and Mamoru entered Shinra’s apartment.

“They’re having some issues with the clean up. Shiki’s trying to retrieve our guy’s gun without the authorities noticing,” Akabayashi told him from the couch. “Oh! And before I forget, he told me to give you this.” He held up what looked like a small phone. “One of his men dropped it off while you were gone. The code is 4357 if you need to use it.”

Izaya took the gift carefully from the other, wondering what kind of gimmick the yakuza executive had built into it. Akabayashi sighed, leaning back onto the sofa as he returned to watching the continuous onslaught of “breaking news” on the television. “It looks like just a matter of time before they call the SDF in.”

“That would be catastrophic,” Izaya groaned, unwilling to imagine just what bloodshed would occur if they were to bring in the Japanese military. If it came to that, then he might as well return to Kyoto and consider this a lost cause. “I don’t understand how they don’t realize how much danger they’ve put the entire clan in.”

“Orihara-sama had stopped sending out patrols after the Boshin War,” Mamoru explained. “She was afraid that too much involvement with the humans would draw further attention to them, given what happened to her closest confidant.”

“But she still took a human husband and kept her family on the side. She could have at least warned the clan about the outside world,” Izaya grumbled as he placed his cloth bundle on the coffee table, carefully uncovering the glass sphere without touching it.

“What is that?” Shinra asked, eyes gleaming with childlike curiosity. He made a mental note to himself to not let the doctor anywhere near it.

“A little demon we met back at the Orihara household entrance gave this to me. Apparently, it’s a memory orb,” Izaya replied, frowning. “I’m actually not too familiar with these. I just know we shouldn’t touch it directly if we’re not the owner.”

“That is correct,” Mamoru confirmed. “It is said to be very dangerous to come into contact with another demon’s memory orb.”

“What does it do exactly?” the doctor inquired, obviously itching to touch the glowing sphere himself to experiment with it.

“Demons live very long lives, so sometimes we use these to keep precious memories. Touching one would allow one to relive their stored recollections. The caveat is that it only works if there is a particularly powerful emotion associated with the memory, or so I have been told. It also tends to pick up a lot of unwanted echoes since we tend to feel our negative experiences more strongly."

 _“Sounds useful,”_ Celty commented.

Izaya scoffed. “What’s the point of reliving the past if you can’t change it?” He peered into its depths, still unsettled by the soft whisper that seemed to be drawing him to it. 

_“Whose memories are in there?”_

“We were told it was Uta’s,” Mamoru replied.

“Why would they bother giving you her memories like this if they’re dangerous?” Akabayshi asked, frowning.

Izaya bit his lip before replying slowly. “I can think of two possibilities.”

“Two?” Akabayashi quipped.

“It’ll depend on whether that demon was actually from the main house or is from Uta’s group.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit of a gamble then?”

“Perhaps.” Izaya steadied his breathing, trying to keep his apprehension at bay. The demon had told him that it would help him answer his “question.” He grimaced, wondering just how the others could possibly understand him and his plight the last hundred years. They did not witness the wars first hand like he did. 

What did they know?

Izaya defiantly removed the rest of the cloth before wrapping his hands around the glass. 

Nothing could compare to what he had been through.

“Izaya-sama, wait!” Mamoru implored, but it was too late.

The orb glowed, engulfing him in a soft light as his surroundings melted away, Shinra’s white walls and glass windows slowly replaced by the walls of an old wooden house, the smell of smoke filling his senses.

Izaya blinked, studying his surroundings carefully before a sensation that he had not felt for many years suddenly flowed through him, nearly washing away his own thoughts as Uta’s memories flowed into him.

_She smiled at the baby in her arms, his large brown eyes fighting to stay open as she continued to rock him to sleep. The other finally relented, and his soft even breaths gave her the green light to place him back in the crib._

_“He finally fell asleep?” Shinji whispered from the doorframe._

_Uta smiled, brushing some of her hair away from her face as her husband knelt by the crib._

_“I still think he looks more like you than me,” she commented. “So cute.”_

_The other chuckled softly. “He’ll grow up strong like you.”_

_“Yes,” Uta agreed. “Do you hear that, Tsukishima? Grow up strong and healthy.”_

The scene shifted, throwing Izaya into a spiral as he fell deeper into the jumbled memories.

_Orihara clapped a hand to her forehead in exasperation. “You too?”_

_Uta laughed. “What do you mean, me too?” She gasped when she realized what the other meant by that statement. “Don’t tell me!”_

_Her best friend blushed furiously, looking away._

_“W-wait! You’re the matriarch of our clan! What are we going to tell the others?”_

_Orihara bit her lip. “But I love him. You love that human you’ve been meeting too, right? You’re bearing his child.”_

_“You could tell?” She had forgotten how observant her best friend was._

_The other grinned. “You know nothing gets past me.”_

_“But you know that you’re still my number one right? I will still protect you with all my power.”_

_Orihara laughed. “Of course, Uta. If I didn’t believe that, then I would have never approved of your escapades with him.”_

_Uta raised an eyebrow at the other. “Just how long have you known?”_

_“Long enough. I know you quite well, you forget,” Orihara laughed._

_She reveled in the warmth that wrapped around her as she held her belly, smiling as she thought of the life within._

The scene shifted even more violently this time, ripping him away from the warm scene as he plummeted back into the house from before.

_The distinctive smell as she entered the house gave away that something was wrong as Uta dropped the bag of herbs Orihara had given her at the genkan. She kicked off her geta and ran into the living room, finding it empty save for the smoking soup Shinji had been preparing on the hearth._

_“Shinji?” she called out, still unsettled by the strange sickly smell. She couldn’t hear Tsukishima’s usual cries either and made her way to the bedroom, sliding the door open slowly. “Where are-”_

_She screamed._

_Her husband lay in the middle of the tatami in a pool of his own blood, the source a huge gaping wound on his stomach. She ran over to him, trying to stop the bleeding helplessly with her sleeve, but it was hopeless._

_His skin was cold and blue, face contorted in horror at whoever had attacked him. “Shinji!” she called out to him helplessly. There must be something that she could do. Wasn’t there a spell?_

_Something…_

_"Shinji..."_

_She knew he was gone as she sobbed quietly, fearing the worst as she turned to the crib, trying to blink away her tears._

_“T-Tsuki-chan?” she called out helplessly, but she did not see the infant among the sheets. “W-where?” She dreaded to look further and instead stayed where she was next to husband, trembling uncontrollably._

_Uta heard the sliding door open, but made no movement to retaliate. Perhaps, if she went the same way Shinji did, then she could..._ _However, her wish was not to be granted as she realized that she recognized the footsteps as one of her own._

_“Uta…”_

_“W-who did this?” she asked Masaru, cradling her husband in her arms. She couldn't imagine that the culprits could have gotten far if her long time friend was nearby. The blood on his clothes only served to prove her assumptions true._

_He bowed his head. “I overheard the humans on one of my patrols. I’m sorry, I didn’t make it in time. Shinji was already dead when I found him.”_

_“What about Tsukishima?” she barely managed to whisper._

_“They told me that they had thrown the child into the river. I searched everywhere, but…” he trailed off, hands clenching at his sides. "I killed them all, Uta. I know we were told to stay away, but I couldn't stop myself."_

_Uta stayed silent for a long time, her friend graciously quiet as the wave of grief continued to wash over her until it settled into a rumbling storm. It was useless. There was no other alternative to go to his side except… She stood up briskly and flew to the kitchen, seizing the knife from the table. She turned it upon herself when Masaru suddenly grabbed her from behind, swatting the knife away from her._

_“No, Uta!”_

_“Let go of me! Let me see Shinji!” she shrieked._

_“This is what they want! Don’t let them win! Uta!”_

_She sobbed, sinking to the floor as Masaru slowed her descent._

_“Nothing good ever comes with associating with humans,” the other whispered. “They've destroyed everything they've ever feared.”_

_She sniffed. “The humans did this because they feared me?”_

_“Yes, Uta.”_

_She sat there for a while, hoping to wake from the nightmare that had engulfed her life. She felt lightheaded, her vision blurring as the tears came and went._

_“The humans… should die.”_

_“Yes, they should,” the other demon agreed._

_I’ll kill them all._

_Every single last one of them._

_I’ll rip them apart like they did to me._

He saw red.

He blinked, her rage overwhelming him as he fell out of the memory, jumping back and nearly tripping over something soft behind him, the sofa? What was a sofa again? He didn’t recognize where he was, the faces before him blurred. All he knew was the one in the corner was a human, and Uta’s voice echoed in his head like a chant.

_I will kill them all._

Humans had killed Shinji and Tsukishima. They’ve destroyed everything she ever loved. 

_They should all die._

His body acted on instinct, and he lunged, the voices around him muffled in his ears as he registered someone shouting. 

A wave of darkness caught him before he could reach the human and propelled him across the room into the door. He crashed into the wood, the impact breaking the lock and sending him into the opposite wall.

.

“Whoa! Izaya?” Shizuo exclaimed when the informant slammed into the hallway, the impact causing a sizable crack in the wall. Izaya stood up shakily before brushing past him violently, disappearing down the stairs in a flash of black. He peered into Shinra’s apartment to find the others looking just as shocked. “What happened?”

“I-I don’t know!” the doctor stuttered. “Izaya was playing with this memory orb thing and then suddenly tried to attack me!”

 _“Hurry after him!”_ Celty typed furiously.

“The emotions from Uta’s memories must have overwhelmed him. He’s in a highly agitated state right now, so be careful,” Mamoru told him, also shaken. “Please.”

“Tch, stupid flea!” With those words, Shizuo turned and sprinted after the informant without a second thought.

Shinra, Celty and Akabayshi all looked at the older demon as their friend disappeared down the stairs.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense for you to chase Izaya?” Akabayashi asked. “You know, full demon versus full demon.”

Mamoru shook his head. “It is unlikely that he would listen to me. I should’ve torn him from the memory orb the moment he touched it.”

"So you knew this would happen."

"I did not expect Izaya-sama to touch it so suddenly"

.

“Wait,” Sakaraya suddenly whispered as he pulled Shitsuo down with him behind a trash can.

“What?” the other began, but he held a finger up to his mouth as a flash of black sprinted across the opposite street.

“Huh? It’s Nii-san,” Sakuraya realized before he studied the other’s movements a little more closely, keeping a strong grip on Shitsuo to keep the other from standing up.

“Is it really necessary to hide?” the other asked. “He’s your brother.”

“No, something’s wrong.”

“I-za-ya!” They saw Shizuo appear from around the corner in pursuit of the other in a mad dash.

.

“Izaya!”

His pursuer caught up to him and grabbed hold of his arm. He turned around and swung with his free hand only for the other to seize his other wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

_All humans should die..._

He struggled to break free from the other’s monstrous grip to no avail, the anger surging through him like wildfire. He needed to kill them all. They had to pay for what they did.

“Izaya! Get ahold of yourself!”

The human’s voice was desperate, as it should be. They should fear him.

He broke free of the other and took off again, trying to make his way through the unfamiliar streets. He didn’t understand how the ground was so even and white, as if someone had painstakingly paved the rock under him. The buildings were strange and pierced into the sky.

Just where was he?

“Nii-san!”

He turned to see another demon across the black pavement yelling at him and stopped, his vision still hazy. It took a moment before he noticed yet another human standing next to his kin and the rage surged again.

That wasn’t right.

He gritted his teeth, taking a step towards them. Demons and humans were never meant to coexist. He’ll make sure of that. His steps quickened, turning into a run.

It was then his head lurched, and Izaya hesitated for a split second before something heavy suddenly collided with him, throwing him to the ground as whatever it was that slammed into him broke into pieces around him.

“Nii-san!” he heard again through the haze as he struggled to his feet, trying to lunge haphazardly at the human before him.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around him before his feet could leave the ground again, pinning his arms to his side. He squirmed, turning himself to face his attacker before trying to strike only for the embrace to tighten around him, causing him to hesitate.

He recognized this warmth.

He stopped struggling, confused at all the emotions surging through him. 

_Who…_

"Izaya!" the other yelled at him.

He had already admitted that he hated humans. They had taken Tsugaru away from him after all. 

_‘Wait… Tsugaru?’_

_He was surrounded by a sea of petals, their light pink hues contrasting with the one in blue before him. Ocean eyes stared back into his._

_The other smiled at him, washing away all of the other emotions that swelled in him and leaving him with the soft ache that he had endured all these years._

Right, Tsugaru was gone. All he had now was the one in front of him. Izaya blinked as Shizuo’s face finally came into focus, the afternoon sky far too bright as he looked down, burying his face in the warmth that surrounded him.


	36. Chapter 36

Shizuo held his breath as the one in his arms stopped struggling, blank eyes staring into his before they slowly started to fill with tears. Those long lashes blinked, and he followed the trickle down the other’s cheeks as some semblance of sanity returned to those blood red eyes. Then, they were gone again as Izaya buried his face into Shizuo’s chest. A pair of trembling arms wrapped around him, squeezing him as if the other’s life depended on it.

He sighed in relief, knowing that Izaya had returned to him.

“You alright?” Shizuo asked the other, hoping that the vending machine didn’t cause too much damage. He had thrown it on instinct after the informant changed directions in the middle of the chase towards Shitsuo and Sakuraya. “Sorry for using the vending machine on you,” he muttered awkwardly. 

“N-no, you stopped me from hurting anyone. I-I mean, yes I’m fine.” Izaya shivered and held him tighter. “Thank you, Shizu-chan,” he whispered.

Izaya could still hear his heart pounding in his ears as he grudgingly pulled away slightly to wipe away some of his tears.

“Nii-san!” They heard a familiar voice call to him from across the street, and Izaya slowly disentangled himself from Shizuo’s embrace to see his brother and Shitsuo running towards them. He suddenly remembered lunging towards the other in his rampage and swallowed thickly, not wanting to even think about what could have happened if Shizuo hadn’t stopped him in time.

“What happened?” Sakuraya asked, eyes scrutinizing him closely before smiling in relief.

“I…” Izaya began only for a wave of dizziness to stop him mid-sentence. He closed his eyes for a moment, focusing his attention on Shizuo’s firm grip on his arm that kept him upright. 

“I used someone else’s memory orb,” he finally managed, trying to ignore the world spinning around him. 

His brother gasped. “That’s dangerous!”

“Wait, you know what it is?” 

Sakuraya nodded. “Mother made one before she married my father. She hides it in the trunk of her room. I was curious once and broke in to see what it was.” He averted his eyes. “I cried for days. They never found out what was wrong though, luckily.”

Izaya blinked, eyes wide. “So, you’ve seen my father?”

The other nodded meekly. Izaya really didn't know what to think; it had been ages since he thought about his father. The man never stayed long in the house; he had spent much of his time in Kyoto studying the humans.

“Mother loved your father very much, Nii-san. She was very worried when you didn’t come back.”

Izaya smiled at that. “I know.” He sighed, finally opting to massage his temple in an attempt to lessen the headache. “On the other hand, why are you guys here? You know how dangerous it is right now.”

Shitsuo bowed. “Sakuraya only wanted what’s best for the demons here in Ikebukuro.”

“I’m going to have to agree with Izaya on this one,” Shizuo chimed in. “They’ve already killed a handful of people here.”

Sakuraya grimaced. “Yes, I saw the writing. Some more humans came, and Shitsuo pulled me away before I could investigate.”

“For good reason,” the other added. “Didn’t you see the guns?”

“I would’ve been fine!”

“You know they’ll suspect us instantly, especially since we’re covering your horns.”

“But-”

Izaya found himself starting to tune them out as his surroundings continued to spin. He was barely able to keep himself upright even with Shizuo’s support; the only saving grace was that he could no longer hear Uta’s voice and the constant surge of bloodlust from earlier.

It scared him to no end, knowing that a fellow demon could hold such malice against an entire race. He wondered if he would have eventually reached that point if he had kept going as he did. His chest tightened at the thought. Perhaps he had already been drowning himself in that hatred for all these past years before Shizuo snapped him out of it.

“Let’s head back to Shinra’s for now,” Shizuo’s voice finally broke through the haze. “I think Izaya needs to lie down.”

“Yeah, agreed,” Izaya mumbled, attempting to stand on his own when his ears picked up a series of quick steps moving towards them. “Hey, do you guys hear that?” He looked up just in time to see a flash round the corner and promptly shoved Shizuo away from him just as the object reached them, the newcomer’s claws connecting with Izaya’s shoulder where the bodyguard was once.

The attack sent him flying onto the road, gasping from the pain that surged through his upper arm that was most likely broken. He could hear yelling all around him and struggled in vain to his feet only to fall back to the pavement, stars clouding his vision. He could see his attacker sparring with Shizuo and Sakuraya on the sidewalk through the haze before going for Shitsuo.

_‘No!’_

Sakuraya managed to block the blow only for the demon to throw him into the wall before dodging a punch from Shizuo and tripping him.

“Remember, humans make us weak,” the demon hissed at Sakuraya before turning towards Izaya.

“Izaya!” he could hear Shizuo and his brother yelling, and suddenly he was in the air, hoisted away by the demon. He could barely make out the other’s face and struggled to stay conscious. This must have been their plan all along he thought hazily, suddenly realizing that there was a soft weight in his jacket.

Izaya gritted his teeth, reaching in his pocket with his good arm before touching the phone Shiki had given him.

_‘What was the code again?’_

He managed to type in what he hoped was “4357” and felt the object vibrate in response. His fingers then brushed against a switchblade, and he whipped it out for good measure only for his kidnapper to headbutt him.

His vision went dark.

.

“Your bones are mending quite fast,” Shinra commented as he continued to skim through the x-rays. “There’s only a slight fracture now on most of them from what I can see.”

“Great! Let Shiki know, and I’ll…”

“I didn’t say that they’ve completely healed, you know.” Shinra sighed, wondering how much longer he’ll be able to keep the other here before Akabayashi ran off to find the others. He had been unable to sit still to wait for Shizuo to bring Izaya back and had instead ushered Akabayashi into the sickroom for some scans while Celty took care of the broken door. 

He had expected Mamoru to go after them as well, but the older demon currently waited quietly in the living room after covering the sphere.

Someone pounded on his front door, prompting Shinra to run out before Shizuo could break it down again. Celty had repaired the door with one of their spare doorknob and deadbolt sets that he always kept lying around for occasions like these, but he’d rather not continue dwindling their supply. On the other hand, the wall outside was a lost cause.

“They took him!” Shizuo yelled as he barreled into the living room as soon as Celty unlocked the door.

“Where are they? You must know!” Sakuraya quipped, following right behind. His clothes looked a little worse for wear, with pieces of cement still stuck to his jet black hair.

“Sakuraya-sama!” Mamoru gasped, running over to the young master to make sure he was not hurt. 

“I’m fine,” the other brushed him off, “but one of the demons kidnapped Nii-san! Please tell us where the Orihara Clan household is.”

“They’ve sealed the barrier to the main house. We checked earlier,” Mamoru replied, his lips trembling. “We haven’t found out where the outsiders are staying yet.”

“Damn!” Shizuo hissed, nearly punching the wall next to him. He stopped himself at the last second when he noticed something on the coffee table, a glow peeking out from under what looked like a scarf.

“Is that the fucking orb Izaya was talking about?”

Mamoru nodded. “Don’t tell me Izaya-sama went with them willingly?” That would definitely support the possibility that he had let his prince fall right into a trap. He was so certain that the young demon he had met earlier was not part of Uta’s group.

“Shizuo somehow snapped Nii-san out of it, but this man came out nowhere, and we couldn’t catch him,” Sakuraya replied.

The older demon clenched his fists, angry that he had not followed. He had thought that any interference from them might have prompted Izaya to attack them after the other had rushed at Shinra.

“Excuse me, if I may say something?”

Everyone looked to Akabayashi, who had made his way out of the sickroom. 

“I believe Shiki has given his favorite informant a tracker.”

“Oh! That phone from earlier!” Shinra recalled, nodding to himself.

“That’s assuming that he managed to even punch in the code!” Shizuo growled. “Izaya was in pretty bad shape.”

Akabayashi laughed nervously. “It’s actually always on.”

“What?” Shizuo began, but the doorbell saved the other from any further inquiries. Celty opened the door cautiously to reveal none other than the man himself who was currently eyeing the damaged wall behind him with much interest. Shiki turned his attention to the apartment now that the door was open, his eyes settling briefly on Sakuraya and Shitsuo before moving on to the rest, taking note of the heated atmosphere. 

“I take it something happened to Orihara-san? He dialed the code in the tracker,” Shiki finally started when the others continued to remain silent. 

“You’re the one with…” Shizuo growled, and Shiki held up a hand to stop him.

“Before you ask why I didn’t follow, you should know that a little bird told me that the enemy is about to stage a riot at Sunshine 60 Dori. I came so that I can make a decision on how to allocate my resources.”

“You will tell us where Nii-san is?” Sakuraya asked hopefully.

Shiki looked him over carefully. “If you would assist us, then I will help you find your brother.”

The demon’s eyes lit up. “Thank you!”

The yakuza sighed to hide his surprise at seeing such an expression of innocent joy on a face that looked like Izaya’s. “How’s Akabayashi’s wounds, Kishitani-san?”

“Uh, I’m right here. You can ask me,” the man in question commented, but Shiki looked to the doctor, ignoring his colleague. 

“Closing much faster than a regular human’s would. I can’t say that he’s in any shape to be fighting with a demon though,” Shinra answered truthfully, deciding that he’d rather deal with Akabayashi than Shiki’s wrath.

“I see.” He turned to the others. “We’ll need to separate into two groups: one to Sunshine 60 Dori and one to where they’re keeping Izaya. The tracker stopped in the warehouse district a little ways from here so I suspect that they’ve also split in two.”

 _“Don’t tell me you’re planning to engage the demons?”_ Celty asked him.

Shiki nodded. “My source told us that they’re planning to burn the place down. I can’t guarantee that there would be no casualties, but I’m not going to let them do whatever they want in my city either.”

“I will go with you to this Sunshine 60 Dori place,” Sakuraya announced, much to everyone’s surprise.

_“You don’t want to go look for your brother?”_

Sakuraya shook his head. “Shizuo will be going to Nii-san, yes?” The other nodded firmly. “Then let me go with you to the other demons. Oh, and Shitsuo should stay here.”

“But…” Shitsuo retorted.

“I’d listen to him if I were you,” Akabayashi cut him off. “Look what they did to me.”

Shitsuo’s eyes trailed to the bandages under the yakuza’s shirt and swallowed to regain his composure. “Very well, I will stay here.”

Mamoru sighed. “Sakuraya-sama, you don’t make this easy for me.”

His charge grinned. “You will be going with Shizuo to get my brother back.” 

“Sakuraya-sama, you can’t be serious…”

“And we’ll take all of our men to Sunshine 60 Dori! Everything’s solved!” Akabayashi interrupted. 

“You are staying here!” both his father and Shiki exclaimed at the same time.

 _“The groups don’t seem to balance out,”_ Celty commented.

“Go with the others to get our informant back,” Shiki advised. “We’ll be fine at Sunshine.” 

She nodded, giving him a thumbs up.

.

_“Ladies and gentlemen, we will be arriving at Shin-Yokohama station in a few minutes. The exit is on the…”_

Aiko sighed, stealing a glance at her two charges sitting next to her. The demon matriarch’s kimono didn’t look too out of place back at Kyoto station, but she wasn’t very sure if there were many people in Tokyo who still wore the traditional garments on a regular basis. That and the sunhat she had managed to finally convince the other to wear definitely didn’t belong inside the shinkansen.

Surprisingly, Hibiki was more willing to try on the clothes she had picked out for him, stating that he was willing to do whatever it took to get to Sakuraya.

The two were currently engrossed with the views outside the window, ignoring the mountain of empty food wrappers and bento containers in front of them. Aiko had to hold in a chuckle earlier at their expressions when they first dug in. It was a little difficult maneuvering back at the station with the limited motion of her arms thanks to the casts, and Hibiki’s constant insistence to carry her didn’t help a bit.

“Where is this Shin-Yokohama?” Hibiki asked as the train stopped for the second time. 

“We’re about twenty minutes away from Tokyo Station, and then we need to change trains to get to Ikebukuro, assuming they’re still running. We’re actually pretty close to the ocean. You can probably see it in a little bit.”

“The ocean…” Hibiki repeated contemplatively. 

The other’s curiosity suddenly reminded her of Sakuraya. “Pardon my rudeness for asking, but have you seen the ocean before?”

He crossed his arms. “We’ve read about it in books.”

This time she really did have to hold in her laugh. “No wonder you two liked the mackerel kakinoha-zushi so much. It’s an ocean fish.” She nodded to the pile of now empty persimmon leaves in front of them. “There’s tons of great seafood to enjoy outside of Kyoto.”

“I see…” he replied, trying to hide his interest by averting his eyes.

“I’ve seen the ocean once.” They looked over to Sakurako in surprise. She had been quiet through most of the train ride and even while fighting over the bentos with Hibiki. Actually, she hadn’t spoken to Aiko at all since the episode back at the compound where Hibiki had barged in with the human in tow, running so fast that he nearly ripped open half of her wounds.

“My first husband took me.”

Aiko sensed a strange nostalgia about the statement and wondered if it had anything to do with how sheltered they had tried to keep Sakuraya. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

A small smile crossed the other’s face. “Yes it was.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kakinoha-zushi - Sushi wrapped in a persimmon leaf, a delicacy from in Nara. You can find them at some of the major train stations as well.
> 
> Shinkansen - Aiko went all out and bought the three of them tickets on the Nozomi train, the fastest of the shinkansen lines since it has the least stops. There are only three stops between Kyoto and Tokyo (Nagoya, Shin-Yokohama, and Shinagawa). The trip still takes about 2 hours, and then they have to hop on a local train to get to Ikebukuro, so Aiko decided to placate her two demon guests with food.


	37. Chapter 37

Sakuraya watched as Shitsuo tightened his obi carefully, his long nimble fingers pausing briefly at his waist before letting go. The other picked up the pink haori from the bed, smoothing out the creases that had formed in the duffle bag before holding it out for him to put on.

“You didn’t need to dress me, you know,” Sakuraya muttered, trying to ignore the warmth that he knew had spread up to his ears as he maneuvered his arms into the sleeves. He looked himself over in the mirror, enjoying the familiar weight of his usual clothes. He did mourn the loss of Shitsuo’s hoodie, but the others thought it was better for him to actually dress like a demon if his words were to have any impact on the others. Not to mention, the garment really did need a good wash after he was thrown into the wall earlier.

“Are you sure about this?” Shitsuo asked him.

Sakuraya nodded. “Nii-san isn’t here right now, so I must go in his stead. I will protect this town that Shizuo, Shinra, and Celty live in.”

Shitsuo sighed, knowing that it was no use trying to convince the other when Sakuraya’s mind was set. “I understand.” He gingerly embraced the other, arms slightly trembling. “Stay safe,” he whispered.

They remained like that for a little while before a knock on the door told them it was time.

“There’s a car waiting for you in the front,” Akabayashi announced as Sakuraya and Shitsuo walked out of Shinra’s spare room. “I’ll show you which one.” 

“Good luck, Sakuraya,” Shinra told him. “Don’t give me too much work to do, you hear?’

Akabayashi waved lightheartedly to the two before shutting the front door behind them.

Sakuraya followed silently until they reached an black vehicle, the windows tinted nearly as dark as the paint. The doors opened automatically as they neared it, and he slid into the back seat, twiddling his thumbs as he wondered how he could possibly reach the others with his words. He hadn’t really attended many of the meetings his mother had with the elders back in Kyoto, and he had certainly never heard his brother truly negotiate with anyone before. He had only eavesdropped on Mamoru’s few reports to his mother of how convincing Izaya could be.

“Hey scoot over, will you?” Akabayashi’s voice snapped him out of his reverie, and he slid over to the other side, confused. The other promptly jumped in after him and closed the door.

“Um…” Sakuraya began. He was certain that the others had instructed the man to stay put.

Akabayashi laughed heartily. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll be fine.”

.

_“Nothing good ever comes with associating with humans. They've destroyed everything they've ever feared.”_

_The humans… should die._

_He smiled. “Yes, they should.”_

Izaya groaned as he came to, first noting the throb in his newly mended arm. He opened his eyes carefully so as to not draw attention to himself and waited for his vision to slowly solidify as his sluggish mind cleared. He took a deep breath, noting that someone had deposited him unceremoniously on the concrete floor of a warehouse, crates piled high around him illuminated only by the tiny windows close to the ceiling.

If it was still daylight then he couldn’t have been knocked out too long he thought, unless it had already been a few days. 

Upon further careful inspection, he found himself unbound and finally decided to sit up. Izaya studied his surroundings, mentally noting the seemingly normal layout. Whoever had claimed the facilities as their base certainly hadn’t been here long enough to add their own flair.

The sound of footsteps outside alerted him, and someone threw the heavy double doors of the warehouse open, blinding Izaya with the bright afternoon sun. He held up his good arm instinctively to shield his eyes from the sudden glare and prepared himself as the doors closed, once again encasing him in just the soft streams of light from the windows. 

Izaya looked up to see the very two demons from his recent dream.

“You must be Uta,” Izaya noted. He breathed in slowly, trying to detect anyone else in the storeroom that might have come in with the two, but he found none. He supposed that the others were either on some sort of mission or were just simply not allowed to hear their conversion. 

The female demon bowed. “Yes, my name is Uta.” She motioned to the male beside her who had taken his place by one of the crates, leaning against the wood with his arms crossed. Izaya recognized him as the one who abducted him. “This is Masaru, my second in command.”

“A pleasure,” he replied, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice. He stood up with a bit of a struggle, clutching his arm as he slowly felt through his coat for any remnants of damage. It seemed to have healed well enough he decided as he stretched the joint, finding it stiff from the healing.

“I apologize for the rough transport. Masaru told me he was aiming for the human, but you pushed his target away,” Uta expressed her regret, her voice seemingly sincere. Nevertheless, Izaya kept his defenses up, waiting for the other two to reveal their intentions. The fact that they had not kept a stricter guard on him already told him loads of information. 

Then again, there wasn’t much that can restrain a demon save for the power of another demon.

“You know, in my line of work, you simply make an appointment. We set a time, and then I come to you,” Izaya jested, testing the waters. “Would have been easier for the both of us.”

Uta smiled wryly. “Is that so? I doubt that any one of the humans would meet with me without some sort of weapon to assist with the negotiation. You call them, ‘guns,’ I take it? I’ve seen what they can do, Izaya-sama. That’s why I called you here.”

“Then you must know what they are capable of, Uta-sama,” Izaya countered. “One well-placed strike can potentially kill any one of us.”

“That is why we want you to obtain some for us, Izaya,” Masaru finally spoke, unfolding his arms as he moved his weight off the crate. Uta held out a hand to stop him, and the other grudgingly relaxed and returned to his former position.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. I don’t even have access to one myself,” Izaya replied when it seemed like Masaru would not move for the moment. He didn’t think he could take both on in his current state and could only hope to buy time until Shiki arrived with the others. 

Uta sighed, obviously disappointed by his answer. She stayed silent for a while, seemingly deep in thought, as Izaya searched in vain for another door to the warehouse besides the obvious one behind the other two. He knew Ikebukuro well enough that he could probably lose them once he got himself outside.

“Did Orihara-sama ever tell you?” Uta’s words interrupted his observations as he returned his full attention to her, deciding to continue to buy time. “I was once like you, long ago,” the other demon mused.

“I’m afraid she wasn’t the type to talk about others,” Izaya replied, nonchalantly reaching into his pocket for the phone he had turned on just to make sure. It was still there.

“Of course.” Uta placed a hand up to her lips contemplatively. “She was powerful enough to protect her husband from the humans after all.”

Izaya grimaced, not liking where this was going.

“Yet, he made her weak. He is the one who killed her.” She turned to look at him. “I refuse to be so weak. Don’t you grow weary of this life, constantly hurting from the treachery of these weak humans? After all, it was that human you called Tsugaru that made you into this.”

Izaya trembled at those words, feeling the anger build in him as he valiantly tried to suppress it. He wanted to snarl at her for using his name in such a way, but he calmed himself at the last moment, knowing that he had an even greater weapon.

“Would you say the same of Shinji?” he asked quietly.

He could see the fire ignite in her calm eyes as she began walking towards him slowly. He noted from the corner of his vision that Masaru had also reacted, barely managing to suppress a twitch. “How do you know that name?” Uta growled as she closed in on him.

Izaya supposed this was a worthwhile piece of information. They did not know he had her memory orb. He decided to do what any informant would. He prodded deeper.

“I saw your memories.”

Uta’s eyes widened. “Y-you found my memory orb?”

Izaya’s eyebrows raised. Now that was an odd way of putting it. 

“Uta-sama, it matters not. Remember what the humans did to you,” Masaru was at her side in an instant. His arm on her shoulder seemed to calm her somewhat as she regained her composure. 

“Yes, it was the fault of the humans we are like this,” she muttered. She looked back to Izaya, the spark dwindled to a mere flicker. “Tsugaru… the humans… are the causes of our weakness. They will kill you just as they’ve killed my best friend.”

Izaya clenched his fists at hearing the man’s name used like this against him a second time. “Orihara-sama was not weak. Tsugaru…” his voice trembled, “was not weak. He did not make me weak. I did.”

She regarded him from a moment, the pity almost reflecting on her eyes.

“Strange, I thought that you would join me,” Uta finally commented.

“You do realize you’ve put a huge target on all of us, right?” Izaya told her.

“It matters not. We are always stronger than their kind.”

“Have you seen what kind of weapons they have? All they have to do is call in the SDF, and we will all be done for! Have you been living under a rock these past few decades? They will kill you all.”

Her eyes shone. “There’s someone else, isn’t there? That one you’ve been obsessed with. The so called ‘strongest man in Ikebukuro.’”

Izaya flinched.

“Perhaps you need to be reminded of the pain.”

“Uta-,” he began as something slammed into the massive warehouse door, its hinges creaking before the entire thing fell forward, revealing the man in question along with the others.

“Izaya-sama, you are okay!” Mamoru exclaimed as he ran past Shizuo only to be stopped by a group of twenty or so demons that had appeared from just outside.

“Get out of my way,” he growled.

“This fight is between them,” one of them declared calmly.

A mass of shadows suddenly sprang forward, engulfing the group as chaos broke out at the entrance. Izaya took the chance to duck into the crates, moving deeper into the warehouse as he heard Uta and Masaru follow him.

. 

“I’d thought you’d somehow make your way over here, dumbass,” Shiki sighed as Akabayashi exited the car after Sakuraya.

“Where is everybody?” his friend asked, ignoring the other’s glare.

Shiki crossed his arms, mouth twitching in annoyance at the other’s recklessness. “They’re hidden in the buildings. As if I’d actually have us confront them headon.”

“Then why are you here?” Akabayashi inquired.

“To assess the situation on the ground. I don’t want to be late on the order if something goes wrong,” Shiki replied, gesturing with his gaze to Sakuraya.

Akabayashi grinned, pleased that the other had decided to take so many precautions to protect Izaya’s brother. “Noted.”

“Well, are you ready?” Shiki asked Sakuraya, who nodded.

They rounded the corner to Sunshine 60 Dori, the streets eerily quiet and empty of any other life as a soft wind carried a few leaves across the concrete. Sakuraya spotted the group immediately across the street: a group of thirty or so demons, their kimonos an odd sight among the concrete streets. Quite a few of them carried torches, and the escalating voices from the group indicated that they were bickering about something.

“We need to wait for Uta-sama’s orders!”

“Why? She explicitly told us to burn the city down.”

“Yes, but…”

“Are you having second thoughts now?” 

“Don’t forget what they’ve stolen from us.”

They all looked over to the group when Sakuraya clenched his fists and stepped forward, head held high. Akabayashi held his breath as he and Shiki moved along with him, making sure to keep a safe enough distance away lest one of the demons decided to strike.

“You!” one of the demons closer to them spoke first. “You are one of us! Why are you walking amongst the humans?”

“My name is Sakuraya, second son of Sakurako from the West,” Sakuraya replied. “Is it odd for me to be walking alongside my comrades?”

The demon scoffed. “Comrades? Don’t joke with me, Sakuraya-sama. They’ve brainwashed you as they’ve tricked our beloved Orihara-sama. The only way to take back what is ours is to burn it all down.”

Sakuraya grimaced. “Please, stop this senseless violence. We did not live this long by destroying those weaker than us.”

Another demon shoved the first aside to speak. “You have no idea how much the humans have taken from us. Orihara-sama gave her life to a human, and now she’s passed. He stole her from her demon heritage!”

Sakuraya regarded him sadly. “Was that not her decision?” he asked them. “If you loved her that much, then you should respect her wishes. Izaya told me about what happened to her grandchildren. Attacking those of demon blood… How can you still call yourselves demons? You’ve become the ones you claim to hate so much!”

He could see a few of them flinch, obviously affected by his mentioning of the Orihara twins. 

“Don’t listen to him. He does not understand our loss, being so sheltered in the West. They were lucky that the humans did not advance any further into their territory.”

“Yeah, what do you know?”

Akabayashi could spot a familiar face among the crowd and flinched, feeling the sweat row down his face when their eyes met. The man broke eye contact first.

“We did try to kill the twins,” he commented, his voice soft but loud enough to freeze the entire crowd.

“We what?” one of the others exclaimed.

Sakuraya blinked, realizing that the attacks on the Orihara sisters were not known to the entire group. He could sense the group bristle and opened his mouth to calm them, only to be drowned out by the unrest.

“Uta-sama told us to.”

“How could you! To harm one of Orihara-sama’s blood…”

“Uta-sama is right! They took Orihara-sama away from us! They should die!”

“Listen to yourselves! It’s just as Sakuraya-sama said. We’ve become just like humans.”

“He’s lying to us! He’s on their side!”

“Burn the city down!”

“No, wait-”

It was unclear who struck first, but one of the torch carriers went flying before he managed to lower the fire into a nearby wall. The demon crashed into one of the trash cans, arms flailing as the ones around them broke out into a brawl, their yells indiscernible as they attacked each other.

“Stand down!” Shiki hissed into his phone as Sakuraya blinked at the situation, flabbergasted at the chaos.

“Genius! You turned them against each other!” Akabayashi laughed.

  
  



	38. Chapter 38

“Oh man, this is getting kind of out of hand,” Akabayashi whispered as he and Shiki continued to slowly back away from the ongoing fight in front of them while trying to pull a still unresponsive Sakuraya with them. “You made sure to disable all of the cameras in this area, right?” he asked his friend. “If this gets out to the press, then for sure the SDF is coming in.”

“They might already be on their way,” Shiki muttered. “But yes, all the cameras should be off. That’s part of the reason my men are in the buildings right now.” 

Akabayashi whistled under his breath. “Lucky us.” He prodded Sakuraya, “Hey, anyone home in there? We should probably get out of here.”

“I can’t have them burning down the city,” the other finally whispered back, eyes still fixated on the chaos before them. “They weren’t supposed to fight each other. Demons don’t fight each other.”

“Eh,” Akabayashi really wanted to laugh at it all. “Anyone can be driven to violence, demons and humans alike.”

“Then how can they still call themselves demons?” Sakuraya muttered under his breath.

Akabayashi shrugged. “Beats me. We’re not all that different, you and I.”

At that moment Shiki’s phone vibrated, and he maneuvered it back to his ear. His expression darkened, eyes meeting Akabayashi’s. “Got it. Tell everyone to get out of here and out of sight, immediately. We don’t want to be caught in the crossfire.”

“What do you mean?” Akabayashi asked him as he ended the call.

“We’re too late. The SDF will be here in 2 hours. If they don’t disperse by then...”

.

Izaya leapt lightly onto another crate, balancing himself nimbly on the edge before ducking behind one of the larger boxes. He leaned against the wooden panels and breathed in as slowly as he could manage, his lungs burning from the exertion. The yells continued outside, and at that moment, Izaya was thankful that Celty was a Dullahan. He couldn’t imagine how the others would be fairing if it was just Shizuo, strong as he was, and Mamoru. Uta’s group would win by sheer numbers.

He heard his two pursuers’ steps approach him slowly, and he knew at that moment that there was likely no other exit out of the warehouse except through the windows. He doubted that he would be able to jump that high in his current state, so he supposed that he’d have to resort to his original plan of talking himself out of this predicament.

Or, he could try just punching a hole through the wall. Izaya took a deep breath to drive that ridiculous thought out of his head. He was still in no state to try anything that Shizuo-like at the moment.

“You know, I still find it very hard to believe that you can hate all humans. You wouldn’t have gone out of your way to make a memory orb if you wanted to forget him that badly,” he stated out loud, readying himself to jump away should they split the crate behind him open.

The footsteps stopped, and he knew he had hit the mark. Izaya took another deep breath for good measure to fuel himself and stepped out slowly from behind the crate to see the other two waiting for him at ground level below him.

“You were never able to use it, were you?” he asked her. “That’s why you never realized it had gone missing.” He knew for sure that Masaru had twitched this time.

Uta smiled sadly, unaware of her friend’s rather violent reactions to Izaya’s comments about her past. “It was too painful. Don’t you think so too?”

Izaya grimaced. “Yeah,” he had to agree. It had taken over a century for him to recover, and even then he would not have been saved if it were not for Shizuo.

“Then you must understand why we need to take back what is rightfully ours. The humans have stolen from us for too long,” Masaru interrupted their conversation, his fists clenched at his side. 

Izaya tilted his head, eyes narrowing as he tried to recall the memories he saw from the orb. The last bit had been so filled with emotions that it had been difficult for him to analyze it earlier, but there were a few things that didn’t quite add up. “Actually, I happened to see you in the memories too, Masaru,” he stated, purposely emphasizing the other demon’s name to add to the discomfort. “You must have been good friends with Uta back then too, huh? You know, since she told you about Shinji and all…”

Something slammed into him, propelling both of them off of the crates and forcing him to the ground. Izaya gasped as Masaru went for his throat, squeezing mercilessly. “I should’ve done this from the beginning,” he could hear the other snarl.

Izaya gasped for air, clawing at the arm above him as his vision began to go black. He had made a grave miscalculation, not expecting the other to attack him without Uta’s cooperation. Wasn’t that why the other didn’t kill him earlier?

“Wait, Masaru!” Uta screamed from the side, trying to pull her friend off. “This isn’t right!”

“Don’t listen to his lies!” Masaru spat. “He has been tainted by the humans for decades! Izaya is beyond saving.” The grip tightened. “He no longer deserves to be called a demon.” 

Izaya grinned through the pain, amused at the irony of it all. “Y-you’re just like the humans. K-killing you own...”

At that moment, Uta jumped away as a flash of yellow threw Masaru off of him, sending the other demon crashing into the crates as Shizuo appeared in his hazy vision.

 _'Shizu-chan?'_ Izaya wondered if he had already died and was now dreaming.

“Are you alright?” Shizuo huffed, his attention turning back to the one he had thrown off of Izaya as Masaru came out of the rubble. The demon lunged at the bodyguard without a moment's hesitation, roaring as he sent the two of them into the other crates.

Izaya coughed violently as he forced the much needed air back into his lungs, struggling to sit up as he slowly looked up to see Uta still standing before him. This was no time to rest; he still had some work to do.

“The humans lured me into the forest back in Hakodate so that they could kill me without Tsugaru interfering,” he told her. Just bringing up the memory made him want to curl back into himself, but he forced himself to continue by sheer force of will. “But, Tsugaru and Yoichi still found me, and they protected me at the cost of their own lives. You were right, Uta. I hated humans for years,” he told her softly.

“S-see?” she stuttered. “Humans should die. It is the only rational conclusion.”

Izaya shook his head. “How can I hate them when they were also the ones who protected me? And, Uta, I know you don’t want to look back to that day, and I know how painful it is, but,” his eyes flickered to the two that were still throwing punches at each other behind her, “don’t you think it odd that they waited for the demon to leave before only attacking her human family?”

“Don’t listen to his lies!” Masaru yelled as he threw Shizuo into a set of crates.

 _‘Shizu-chan!’_ Izaya had to keep himself from yelling out when he saw no movement among the dust, hoping that Shizuo was only temporarily knocked out. He stood up, glaring at the one behind Uta. “Masaru, did you want power this badly?”

“You should worry about your own ambitions before thinking about mine,” the other growled before lunging at Izaya. 

Izaya barely managed to parry the first attack and immediately went on the offensive only for Masaru to dodge his blow to the other’s shoulder. He heard a crack as a sudden unbearable sharp pain shot through his back, knocking the wind out of him before the other proceeded to then throw him across the warehouse. 

Izaya coughed, the blood splattering over the ground as he gasped for air, his ribs taking far too long to mend. He saw Masaru walking away from him towards where Shizuo had fallen and struggled to his feet only to suddenly realize that he could not feel them. Masaru must have intentionally broken his back with that earlier blow.

“Shizu-chan! Wake up!” he yelled, hearing some movement from the wreckage, but it was far too slow.

“See, he has made you weak,” he heard Uta and looked up to see her standing over him. “I was right.”

Izaya coughed again and grasped at his chest, shifting the broken rib through his skin away from his lungs enough for them to start healing. The maneuver made him see stars, but he held on, fixing his gaze on Uta. 

“You’re not like this, Uta. Think! Remember what happened that day!”

“Shut up,” Masaru hissed, dragging Shizuo up from the wreckage and shoving him towards Uta. “It is useless to argue.” He turned to Uta. “You can still save him, before he becomes like you.”

“Shizu-chan!” Izaya yelled, trying to urge his unresponsive limbs towards the other.

“Remember?” Masaru whispered, keeping Shizuo’s arms locked in place despite the other’s struggles. “All humans should die.”

As if she were in a trance, Uta slowly turned to Masaru and Shizuo, her steps slightly unsteady as she made her way across the warehouse. She was right in front of them now, her gaze shifting from Shizuo to her long time friend. “All humans should die?” The words came out as a question.

”Kill him, Uta-sama. Remember what they did to your husband,” Masaru whispered.

”No! Uta!” Izaya yelled, but it was too late.

Her face contorted at those words and she lunged, claws raised for the kill as Shizuo fought the urge to look away. If this was how it was going to end, then he’d rather take it with dignity. He saw Izaya reach out to him from the ground, eyes wide.

_‘I’m sorry, Izaya…’_

The hand suddenly stopped in front of him, millimeters away from his eyes. 

“Uta-sama! What are you doing?” Masaru exclaimed.

Shizuo found himself staring into blood red eyes, their orbs wide with surprise as they studied him.

“You have his eyes…” he heard her mutter, cupping his face gently with those same hands that had nearly killed him just seconds ago.

“What are you doing, Uta?” Masaru hissed again. Shizuo took the chance to elbow him, the sheer force of the attack making him lose his grip. To his surprise, Uta suddenly rounded on him, and delivered a well placed punch to his face, sending him flying away from the human. He crashed into the rubble and struggled to his feet as she continued towards him, eyes flashing.

“You told me they killed him!” she shrieked, her cry echoing throughout the warehouse. Izaya could hear the windows shake from her anger and wouldn’t have been surprised if they had shattered.

“T-they did!” Masaru stuttered, clutching his broken jaw. “Remember? They killed your husband and threw your son into the river!” He backed away as she approached him. 

“You mean you threw Tsukishima into the river,” Izaya corrected him. “You couldn’t stand to directly kill the infant since he was Uta’s, because you love her. Isn’t that right?”

Uta rounded on Masaru, tears welling in her eyes. “Is this true?”

“I only wanted what was best for you…” Masaru pleaded, but her anger only flared more as he scrambled to his feet and crashed straight through one of the already damaged spots on the wall.

“Don't you dare run from me!” Uta followed quickly after.

.

Sakurako and her entourage emerged from the subway stairs to an empty street, the storefronts dark and roads clear of any cars. They could hear yelling in the distance and headed in that direction, Hibiki instantly picking up Aiko much to her protests. 

“Hush, we’ll be faster this way. Also, you won’t be able to get away by yourself if we suddenly get attacked!” he hissed at her, earning a glare from the human girl, but she finally stopped complaining, much to his relief.

The three rounded the corner of the empty street only to see the strangest thing Hibiki had ever laid eyes on in his life, and he’s lived quite a few human lives’ worth. He recognized his beloved Sakuraya’s back right away in front of them, the prince seemingly unharmed much to his relief. He could tell the two standing behind his nephew were human, or mostly human, then in front of them was a mass chaos of what looked like a group of demons openly exchanging blows in the middle of the street, small patches of fire around them on the ground from what looked like discarded torches.

“Let’s have you wait back in the underground area,” he whispered to Aiko, taking a few steps back when his queen stomped past them, hands clenched.

“Uh, Sakurako-sama…” he called out uselessly to her. Hibiki chose to stop himself and watched as the other continued towards the chaos, pausing only briefly next to Sakuraya to give her son a rather painful looking blow on the head before continuing on to the fighting demons.

One of them, unfortunately not recognizing her through his adrenaline rush, threw a punch at her only to be flung through the crowd of demons, bouncing several times off the concrete before rolling to a stop on the other side of Sunshine 60 Dori. This caught their attention, and the entire group suddenly stopped fighting, their attention fixated on the newcomer. 

“Unsightly,” Sakurako spat. “And you call yourselves demons?”

One of the braver ones walked up to her, hands clenched. “What gives you the right to…” She sent him flying to meet his comrade down the street.

“Orihara-sama would be turning in her grave. How dare you dishonor her memory by fighting like this?” she hissed, her rage still unconsolable as the crowd bristled.

“Who is she?”

“I am Sakurako from the demons of the West,” she declared. “I will not have you exposing us here in Edo with your petty squabbles!”


	39. Chapter 39

The footsteps quickly faded away, leaving the two of them alone amongst the shattered crates and occasional piece of wall in the warehouse, the crashes outside the only indication that there was still ongoing fighting. Izaya let out a relieved sigh before collapsing to the ground, groaning at the dull pain that continued to radiate through his spine. Breathing no longer hurt though, so at least that was a blessing.

“Izaya!” Shizuo ran over to his side, flipping him onto his back for better or worse. He gasped as the movement sent stars through his vision and for a moment he thought he was going to pass out.

“Oi, you okay?” he could hear Shizuo above him. “Izaya?”

_ ‘Stop shaking me, you protozoan!’  _ he wanted to shout, grabbing the man’s collar. The sudden gesture unintentionally pulled Shizuo over him, the man’s brown eyes just centimeters away from his. Izaya stopped, feeling the other’s warm breath against his face, a testament of the life that still flowed through the other. He let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding.

Shizuo was here. 

Shizuo was alive.

For a moment, all other thoughts escaped from his head as he leaned up and captured the other’s lips with his own.

To his relief, Shizuo didn’t continue to shake him and instead snaked one hand around his head, pulling them closer. Izaya had intended to laugh at the other’s surprised expression but found himself melting into the kiss, his mind dizzy from the intensity. It was different from how Tsugaru used to kiss him, yet it was the same. 

He was simply loved, truly and completely.

He guessed this was not a bad way to lose consciousness, but they finally separated right when the edges of his vision began to blur, their soft pants echoing through the empty warehouse. 

Izaya looked away, his face flushed after realizing that he had forgotten to breathe, but he’d never tell Shizuo that. “I thought she was going to kill you for sure.”

Shizuo snorted. “Well I’m alive aren’t I?”

Izaya gasped in exasperation. “No wonder I never considered you human. This definitely explains everything.” He still could not believe it himself. 

The other shrugged. “Mom did say grandpa lived quite a long time. He was babbling about the strangest things his final years.”

“Strange?”

“Like memories about the last of the samurai and such. We just thought he watched way too many historical dramas,” the other explained.

“It would make sense though,” Izaya pointed out, but Shizuo seemed unaffected by the revelation.

“I’m still me, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I wasn’t worried,” Izaya returned before sighing. He could no longer hear the sounds of fighting outside and wondered if they had seen Uta chase Masaru out of the warehouse. 

“Hey, can you help me up?” he asked the other, motioning towards his unresponsive bottom half before Shizuo could make any more unnecessary movements. “I can’t feel my legs. My spine’s taking a while to mend.”

“He broke your back?” Shizuo hissed, fists clenched. 

“Don’t worry,” Izaya brushed it off. “Demons heal pretty fast, remember?”

“Well you haven’t been,” Shizuo grumbled as he gently picked Izaya up, trying not to agitate the other’s back too much. He wondered if Shinra would have to do an operation to realign anything if the damage was truly this bad. 

.

The two of them dashed through the streets of Ikebukuro, their forms a mere blur to any human onlooker. Neither relented in the chase, and their mad pursuit soon reached the giant gathering area of Sunshine 60 Dori only to find it void of life.

Masaru skidded to a stop, eyes wide when he saw no signs of the group they had sent here other than some overturned benches and the occasional damaged light pole. A few patches of dying fire from torches abandoned on the concrete that never made it to the buildings burned on the asphalt. Uta seemed to share similar sentiments as she momentarily stopped her pursuit in search for any signs of the other demons.

“Where are they?” Masaru growled, eyes darting about when he heard a low rumble in the distance, followed by a series of structured steps as a group of humans rounded the corner. There were far too many of them to count, but it was obvious what they held in their hands.

“Stand down!” one of them shouted in a little loudspeaker, his voice echoing through the streets.

“Tch.” Masaru held his head up high, offended that any human would think that they would be able to order him around. He turned to see Uta staring at the army with wide eyes, her bottom lip trembling just the slightest.

“Haven’t you had enough?” she whispered to him.

“Never,” he returned as he turned and rushed towards the crowd. The first round discharged quickly, catching Masaru in the shoulder as he stumbled slightly before regaining his momentum. He was determined to take a few of them out before they overwhelmed him by sheer numbers. 

That would buy enough time for Uta to escape at least.

His efforts were for naught as another series of bullets caught him midchest, knocking the wind out of him as he stumbled and fell to his knees, blood pouring onto the pavement.

“I-impossible,” he gasped, attempting to rip the offending intrusions out, but they were wedged in too deep. He could see some of the humans starting to approach him and readied himself to lunge again, knowing that it might be his last attempt.

Then, he was suddenly in the air, his surroundings a blur with the humans yelling after him. Their ruckus grew increasingly distant as his savior carried them away from the army, and for a while, he could only hear the wind blowing past them before they finally reached a small patch of green, what little remained of the vast lands they once lived on before the humans developed it. 

It was then Uta finally let him down, and Masaru crumpled to the ground, unable to stand even if he wished to. He had lost quite a lot of blood even by demon standards, and it would take quite an intervention to reverse the damage now.

“Why did you save me?” he croaked, trying to make her out in his fading vision.

“I wanted to kill you myself,” she replied, her tone almost whimsical, but the life and anger in her eyes told him otherwise. 

Masaru blinked slowly again to clear his vision.

He had forgotten how beautiful those eyes were, the radiant red that had caught hold of him so long ago. They had been defiant to the strict rules of their kind, free like the fresh winds that used to blow through the lush hills before the humans claimed this land as their own. He had cursed the fates when she decided to give herself to a human, the very species that had infested the world like cockroaches. 

And, even after he had disposed of the human who had taken her, he had not been able to capture those eyes. Yet, now they were finally looking at him and him alone.

The corners of his lips turned up. Yes, now they were finally entirely all his.

“I always knew you’d be the one to kill me, my love.”

And they would be his forever.

.

Each step Shizuo took sent excruciating waves of pain through his back, and Izaya clenched his eyes shut in an attempt to ignore the seemingly endless burn. He had already messaged Shinra, whose gleeful reply gave him no relief whatsoever. He suspected that the doctor would have to perform some sort of surgery, given that his bones don’t seem to have mended even a bit.

“Should we wait for Shinra to move you?” Shizuo asked.

“No,” Izaya managed. “I need to see what’s going on outside. We can’t have them fighting each other if Uta is out of the picture.”

They stepped past the ruined doors into the sunlight, the scenery before him no better than the piles of smashed crates inside the warehouse behind them. Izaya caught sight of Celty and Mamoru standing in front of them between the demons, some of them seemingly exhausted by their earlier fight and were currently watching the two with bated breath.

Mamoru turned around when he heard their footsteps. “Izaya-sama!” He ran over to them. “Are you alright?”

“Broken back,” he muttered before turning to Shizuo. “Hey, let me down for a bit?”

“But…” Mamoru protested, but Shizuo slowly set him down, placing an arm around his back and under his shoulder for support to keep him upright. Izaya swallowed thickly as he stole a glance to make sure his feet were actually touching the ground. 

“Where is Uta-sama?” one of the demons demanded as Mamoru repositioned himself between them.

“You didn’t see her leave?” Izaya answered him, trying to hide the pain in his voice. He doubted he could keep this up for long, but he needed to maintain some sort of dignity if he was going to get any of them to listen to him. “Masaru broke through the wall of the building and she chased him out here somewhere.”

“So that was the noise,” another demon commented, indicating that the two had not run this way.

“Masaru…” Izaya heard one of the other demons mutter. “He was a little obsessed with Uta-sama, if you ask me.”

“That’s quite an astute observation,” he agreed, making the others look at him.

“How would a demon of the West know anything about us?”

Izaya huffed in indignation. “For your information, I’ve lived here for at least the past century now, so if anything I’ve been quite behind in regards to my own clan." That seemed to have caught their attention, so he continued before they could interject. "Masaru was the one who told Uta to kill the humans. Don’t you find it strange that she would come up with the idea to kill Orihara’s grandchildren herself?”

A series of whispers erupted through the group, and at that moment Izaya realized that not all of them were in the loop on the order to kill the twins. This definitely made his job a little easier. 

“You’re lying,” one of them accused him. Or not.

“You do know I was almost shot point blank shielding one of your own after he nearly killed my dear little sister, right?” Izaya’s eyes scanned the group, unfortunately not finding the demon in question. 

“This is all just a charade! They are trying to turn us against Uta-sama!”

_ ‘Does none of them know?’ _

Before the dissent could spread any further, footsteps indicated the arrival of another group of demons and Izaya looked up to see about thirty or so of them, his blood turning cold. He didn’t know how they could possibly hold all of them off, but then he recognized quite a few familiar faces at the forefront of the group. His heart warmed at seeing his brother leading the group as well as none other than Shiki, Akabayashi, and...

_ ‘Mother?’ _ He had to hold in a gasp. He almost failed when he also spotted Hibiki carrying Aiko in his arms.

“It is true,” one of them stepped out, having heard the earlier conversation. He bowed deeply. “Uta-sama ordered a few of us to kill the twins. If it weren’t for Izaya-sama and these humans, we would have made a grave mistake.”

“So you are in on it too?” one of the earlier dissenters yelled. “Where is Uta-sama? What did you do to her?” 

“That is enough!” Izaya turned his head to see none other than Uta walking towards them from the other side of the warehouse. Her kimono was covered in blood; a few splashes of it had made its mark across her face, but she paid it no mind as she strode in between them and the rest of the Orihara clan.

“He is not lying. I gave the order to kill my best friend’s grandchildren," she admitted.

A gasp ran through the demons who had not known, which apparently was most of them Izaya noted. She paid them no mind and turned back to Izaya and Shizuo, bowing to them. 

“We’ve forgotten our true values, fearing the humans for so long, shutting ourselves out from the outside world. We’ve become no better than them, trying to kill each other like this.”

“Uta-sama!” some of the others tried to interject only to be silenced by their peers.

She straightened up, eyes slightly averted. “I am no longer worthy of being called a demon.”

“Hey, let’s not jump to that conclusion so fast,” Izaya began, but she cut him off.

“Thank you, Izaya-sama, for opening my eyes to Masaru’s treachery. I should have seen through his lies years ago, but I chose to look away from the truth. For that, I am at fault.”

“Then Masaru is…” Izaya bit his lip, knowing what she had done. He would have carried the deed out himself if he were in her shoes.

Uta smiled sadly and turned to the other demons. “I accept exile as punishment for killing my own and acknowledge Izaya as the next leader of the Orihara Clan. He has taken our name after all.”

“Uta-sama!” the demons attempted to rebuke her, but she held up a hand to stop them.

“If you are truly loyal to us, then you would respect my and Orihara-sama’s last request,” she declared, daring any of them to interject again. Satisfied with the silence, she turned back to the other two. “Do you accept, Izaya Orihara?”

Izaya nodded firmly. “Yes.”

A small smile spread through her face. “Thank you,” she breathed as she walked up to them, eyes turning their focus to Shizuo.

The other frowned, a little uneasy from all the attention.

Uta reached out hesitantly and caressed his cheek, the tips of her fingers gentle with the touch of a mother’s love.  “Do you think he was happy?” she whispered after a few seconds.

Shizuo looked at Izaya, unsure of how to answer.

“Well Shizu-chan somehow made it into this world, so I’m pretty sure he must have done quite well.”

Uta smiled. “Thank you.” She stepped back, reluctantly separating herself from her grandson.

“Well, I guess this would be goodbye then.” She gave a short bow and disappeared before anyone was able to make a move, a gust of wind the only indication that she had been standing in front of them. 

“Uta…” Izaya could spot his own mother removing herself from the astonished onlookers, likely unable to let Uta just leave without a trace like this. He decided to leave that up to her, much too tired himself. He already had half a mind to tell Shizuo to just pick him up again when Shiki stepped out of the crowd, phone in his hand.

“They just told me the SDF was spotted in Sunshine 60 Dori and shot someone. They’re starting to scout the entire city right now,” the man told him.

Izaya let out a breath. “They’re that close?”

“We’ve just barely missed them ourselves. Your mother asked this group here to take her to their leader and that's why we came here,” Shiki explained. 

“Well, we’ll need to find someplace to lay low until the SDF leaves,” Izaya replied. “I take it your men have evacuated?”

“We can’t just hide!” one of the other demons exclaimed. 

“You can meet them head on, if you would like,” Izaya replied. “But I’ll have you know that you’ll just expose the rest of us to them, and then they’ll kill us all indiscriminately to protect this city. I’d rather avoid that.” The other fell silent at that, shrinking back into the group.

Izaya groaned despite the victory, massaging his forehead. “How’s access to the main house?”

A young demon stepped forward, and Izaya recognized him as the one who had given him the memory orb back at the shrine. “The barrier spell will take a little while to lift. Please help us find someplace to hide for the time being.”

Izaya looked to Shiki, who gave him the most uncharacteristic of frowns. “Seriously, Orihara-san?”


	40. Chapter 40

“Yo,” Akabayashi greeted Shizuo from the couch as the bodyguard entered the doctor’s apartment. The yakuza had taken his shirt off, a few bruises still visible under the fresh bandages Shinra had most likely just changed.

“How are your injuries?” Shizuo inquired, wondering just how long it took for a half-demon to heal. At least it would give him a better gauge on Izaya’s current state.

“Almost as good as new!” the other declared, pounding his chest for good measure. “Oof, still bruised, though.”

“You’ll reopen them,” Shiki hissed.

“I’ll be fine,” Akabayashi brushed the other off as he slipped his shirt back on, carefully doing the buttons. “Besides, it's nowhere close to the ones Izaya has. He’s been asleep for three days now since the surgery, right?”

Shinra sighed, scratching his head. “The incision has already healed, but his thoracic spine was almost completely severed. I don’t expect him to be running around like usual for a while, even with his fast-healing abilities.”

“He’ll eventually heal completely, right?” Shizuo asked.

Shinra nodded. “He just needs a little time. There are already signs that some of the nerves have mended.”

The bodyguard sighed in relief. “Good.” He entered the sickroom, leaving the three outside to finish up, and closed the door softly behind him. 

Izaya’s breaths were calm and even judging by the rise and fall of the white sheets, his thin form even more obvious through his hospital gown. Shizuo sat down on the chair he had left by the bed yesterday, brushing a few strands of hair out of the other’s eyes.

“They’ve announced that the SDF is pulling out of Ikebukuro by the end of the week if they don’t find anything else. So far, it’s only been the mess at Sunshine 60 Dori,” he told the sleeping informant. “The others have been pretty well-behaved at the place Shiki found, so you don’t have to worry about them for now. They say that the barrier is almost down, and everyone can go back home soon.”

Shizuo sighed when the other continued to slumber on, mind blissfully unaware of the world outside. He had a long talk with Mamoru after Izaya collapsed, and he still hated himself for not noticing the extent of the demon’s injuries sooner. Sakurako and Sakuraya had immediately taken charge when Izaya went down and had even yelled at Shizuo to rush him back to Shinra for the surgery.

Shizuo nudged the other’s face half-heartedly with his fist. “Hey, wake up already, flea. Everyone’s waiting for you.” It was too early for Izaya to go when he had come this far.

A small laugh nearly made him start, and he found himself looking at blood red eyes, opened just crack. 

“Is that any way to treat a sick person?” Izaya croaked when he was suddenly enveloped by warmth as Shizuo leaned over and hugged him over the bed.

He weakly wrapped an arm around the bodyguard’s back. “Hey, what’s wrong Shizu-Chan?”

“Mamoru told me what happened with Orihara, that she stayed in her human form for too long,” Shizuo replied, voice slightly muffled by the bedsheets.

Izaya regarded him for a long while. “So you were afraid that I wouldn’t wake?”

“You’d better not be laughing!” the other growled into his chest.

“I’m not.” 

Shizuo looked up to see Izaya smiling softly at him, tears at the corners of the other's eyes.

“Thank you, Shizuo,” Izaya whispered. 

Shizuo reached over, wiping the corners of the demon’s eyes before pulling him in gently for a kiss. Izaya reached up weakly with his still functioning arms, wrapping them around the other’s broad shoulders as he relished in the warmth. 

.

The next time Izaya awoke at Shinra’s, he found himself staring up at Shiki to his surprise. The man seemed to have been waiting for quite a while, as he had been intently reading something on his phone before he realized the other was awake.

“You’ve been sleeping an excessive amount this week,” Shiki noted, prompting a laugh from Izaya. The demon found the button on the side of the bed and adjusted himself to a sitting position, the tingling in his feet proof that his nerves were mending. 

“I haven’t been the most reliable of clan leaders, have I?” he commented, fearing just a little of how he would control the clan after showing such a blatant display of weakness.

“Your mother has been taking care of the logistics. They’re all back in their ancestral home, for your information.” He knew that Shiki definitely sensed his unease.

“Ah, that’s a relief,” Izaya replied as naturally as he could, leaning back on the pillows. “I need to show my face there soon. Oh, and speaking of which, I owe you for letting us use the Awakusu-kai facilities.” 

Shiki shook his head. “Akabayashi took care of that.”

“Oh?” Izaya’s list of people to thank just kept growing longer. “I had assumed you were here to talk about that, but I guess I was incorrect in my assumptions.”

Shiki’s wry smile told him that he needed to try harder. “Actually, I had the pleasure of meeting your biological mother,” the yakuza executive told Izaya.

Izaya hoped from the bottom of his heart that the other hadn’t fallen for her. “She’s quite the firecracker, huh? Almost gave me a concussion last time I went home,” he joked, already feeling the sweat trailing down the side of his neck.

“Actually, she was surprised that you’ve interacted with so many humans without getting yourself killed,” the other replied.

Izaya laughed, nearly punching himself for even thinking that was why Shiki brought up his mother. “Well, I’ve gotten pretty close several times.” He looked away, wondering just what kind of conversation the two had about him. “What did she say to you?” he decided to ask. Shiki seemed to be in a good mood anyway.

“Not much. She mostly asked about what you’ve been doing in Ikebukuro these past years.”

“Is that so?” Izaya pondered.

The yakuza leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “I told her to ask you yourself.”

Izaya snorted. “She’d never let me come back if she ever found out. Hah.” He tested his toes. They wiggled, to his delight. 

“You know, we’ve never formally thanked you for protecting Akane.”

“Huh?” He had forgotten all about that, having suddenly disappeared to the West right after the incident. Izaya frowned. “Don’t worry about it. It was my decision.”

“Were you trying to get yourself killed?” Shiki inquired.

Izaya waved his hand dismissively. “Nothing like that. Although, I think I might continue my break from my job for a while. Not having the full use of my legs has some huge disadvantages in my line of work.” It wasn’t like he didn’t like the job, but he really needed a breather from all the damage he had done. “I also need some time to clean up the Orihara household,” he added as an afterthought. 

“Will you have them stay in their sanctuary like they’ve been doing?” Shiki asked.

Izaya shook his head. “I was thinking of something like integration.” He frowned; the logistics were overwhelming. “We’ll need colored contacts and a better idea for covering the horns of course. And ears. And, I’ll have to convince them to trim their nails. I have to use a modified wire cutter myself,” he mused. “What? Are you hiring?”

“I might consider it,” the other replied.

“Business as usual I see,” Izaya commented, knowing he had hit the mark. “I was trying to figure out your reason for visiting me.”

Shiki smiled wryly. “What’s wrong with checking on the health of my best informant?” 

Izaya laughed. “Brilliant idea on the tracker, by the way. I gave it back to Akabayashi. I’d rather not be followed whenever I visit the clan.”

“Oh?”

“Don’t worry, Shiki,” he told the other. “I’ll offer my information broker services anytime you need it.”

“I’d rather you return to me once you’re back to full health.”

“I’ll come back early if you need me. No one else,” Izaya declared, eyes trailing down to his unresponsive feet under the sheets. “We do need to wait until I can walk though.”

“Fair enough.” The other seemed satisfied enough with this at the moment.

The corners of Izaya’s lips turned up. “I’ll get back to you on the others. I don’t know if the underground is a good first job.”

.

“I never thanked you for giving me that memory orb,” Izaya told the young demon as the other layered yet another ceremonial kimono on top of the ones he already had on.

“I thought it was best to show the elders that you would not come to the same conclusions that Uta-sama did after what the humans did to her,” the other answered. “Actually, I was quite surprised that the culprit was actually one of our own.”

“Well, anyone can be influenced by love,” Izaya pointed out. 

“Indeed.”

Izaya watched as the other tied his obi and finally wrapped a gold cord around to keep everything in place. “Finished,” the demon declared, admiring his handiwork. “I’ll help you out to the main hall, Izaya-sama.”

“Thank you.” Izaya held on to the strong arm that nearly supported most of his weight, his legs still quite unwilling to listen to him due to the healing nerves. He managed to stand up while leaning on the other, and took a few shaky steps before finally maintaining a somewhat steady rhythm. They made their way slowly to the main hall.

“What is your name, by the way?” Izaya asked, wondering if it was a coincidence that the one who had aided them earlier was helping him with this now.

“Kou,” the other replied.

“Kou, huh?” Izaya repeated, stroking his chin contemplatively with his free hand. “I feel like we’ve met before, prior to all of this.”

“Perhaps.” He turned in time to see a mysterious smile briefly ghost across Kou’s face.

“We’re here,” the other announced before he could pry deeper, and he was suddenly surrounded by members of the Orihara Clan as Kou guided him effortlessly through the chamber to the head seat. Izaya could spot his mother and Sakuraya on the side as guests as he slowly sat down.

The ceremony went smoothly, and soon Izaya found himself alone back in his quarters as the others prepared the obligatory feast. His door slid open to reveal none other than Shizuo, the other dressed in a kimono to better blend in with the occasion. 

“I’m sorry they didn’t let you into the ceremony,” he said to the other, who shrugged it off.

“I’m sure this is all very new for them. I’m surprised they’d even let me join in the banquet.”

Izaya laughed. “True that. Mother helped me pull a few strings,” he commented as Shizuo walked over to him.

“Your hair’s getting long,” Shizuo muttered, brushing a few strands of hair behind Izaya’s ears.

“Yeah, I haven’t cut it since before I left for Kyoto,” Izaya commented, making a mental note to get it trimmed soon. He looked up to the other to find Shizuo seemingly grimacing at something. “What’s wrong?”

“That kid who helped you back to your room - I was just thinking that I’ve seen him somewhere before,” the other replied.

“Right?” Izaya agreed.

It wasn’t until during the banquet that Izaya finally had a revelation as Kou poured him a fresh cup of sake, their eyes meeting briefly. 

_“Promise me you’d be happy.”_

Izaya blinked, but the other was already across the room.

.

“I hope you enjoyed your tour of Tokyo, Mother,” Izaya told Sakurako, grinning from his wheelchair as Hibiki let out a huge sigh. 

“Please don’t grow too fond of the East, Sakurako-sama. We still need you back at home,” he commented, earning a snicker from the human girl at his side. 

“There are plenty of places to see in Kyoto too,” Aiko added. “Oh, and Shitsuo can show you around Osaka, right?” Her brother fidgetly uneasily on the side as Sakuraya’s eyes lit up, excited about the prospect of exploring the cities he had only been watching from afar all these years.

“We can visit a ryokan together sometime too!” Shinra suggested, earning a whack from Celty.

 _“That might be too big of a leap!”_ she typed.

“Aw, really?”

“What is a ryokan?” Hibiki inquired.

Sakurako ignored them for the time being and turned her attention to her older son. “We will be returning to the West. You’re free to join us, of course,” she told him. “Even if you don’t come, we will keep the barrier open for now. I doubt anything would keep you two in.”

Izaya smiled. “Thanks Mother, but I have to get the Orihara acclimated over here first. You insisted on them carrying on the succession ceremony so early for me after all. I need to show them I am somewhat competent as your son.” He sensed that it wasn’t enough for her. “I promise to visit. If I take too long, you can come over here to scold me, and I’ll treat you to some ootoro.”

“That is acceptable,” she told him as she patted him on the head, satisfied by his response.

“M-mom!” Izaya stuttered, flustered by the sudden gesture. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks already and tried valiantly to change the subject. “Where’s Mamoru anyway? I thought he was the one guiding you through Tokyo. He wasn’t even at the banquet.”

Sakurako smiled mysteriously. “Mamoru had to return to Kyoto to take care of some business. Aiko here was quite the skilled guide.”

“Is that so?” Izaya replied, glancing over to the girl who was currently talking quite animatedly with Hibiki about ryokans and onsens. He was surprised at all the energy she had even with two broken arms.

Regarding Mamoru, Izaya had strong suspicions about what his mother had sent the other to do. He supposed it would have been too obvious if the matriarch of the demons of the West was found with the exiled ex-Orihara clan leader so soon.

“See you later,” Sakuraya came into his line of vision to interrupt his thoughts and gave him a warm hug before pulling back, bright eyes grinning. “I’ll come visit too. Until then, please don’t overdo it, Nii-san.”

“Same to you,” Izaya replied, unable to hide the smile that had made its way across his face. He supposed he should organize some sort of onsen trip for them in the future. He had never thought that his mother would enjoy human delicacies so much.

“Bye Shizuo! And Izaya!” Aiko waved to them. “Please come visit when you have the chance!”

They watched as the group entered Tokyo Station to board their shinkansen. Shizuo looked down at the informant, who had fallen silent after the double doors closed. He wondered if this development with the Orihara Clan was in the other’s best interest. Izaya was obligated to stay in Tokyo now that he was the clan head, and to be honest, Shizuo didn’t trust them quite yet after what had happened. He wondered if they could somehow push the responsibility to another demon, but Izaya had jumped right into his plans with the clan as soon as he was out of Shinra’s house, wheelchair and all. 

The other demons didn’t seem to mind Izaya’s state too much he supposed. Perhaps their recent memory of the late matriarch had a hand in their view of him.

“Was it alright not to go?” Shizuo asked him regardless.

“I can visit anytime.” Izaya looked up at him. “Besides…” the words caught in his mouth. “There’s somewhere I’d like to go with you.”

 _“We’ll head back to Ikebukuro,”_ Celty told them.

“Yeah, take your time, you lovebirds!” Shinra told them, grinning while avoiding a swing from his girlfriend.

About twenty minutes and a few train stops later, Shizuo pushed Izaya through the blooming sakura trees at Ueno Park, the ground bustling with people watching the pink petals flutter about. Izaya directed them slowly through the grounds of Toshogu Shrine, the crowds unrelenting until it suddenly became quiet, and he looked behind to see the people still walking about behind him. 

“Huh,” Shizuo looked back at the wall they had walked to, finding that it had opened up to reveal a tree-covered hillside, the occasional stone marking what seemed to be an old path.

“Was this always here?” Shizuo muttered, still unnerved by the sudden change in noise.

“I placed an illusion here many years ago,” Izaya replied, studying the steps contemplatively before slowly rising from his wheelchair. “I need to make sure that they replace the signboard in front of this entrance; someone could have seen- Ah!” He was suddenly lifted into the air before he could fully stand, legs flailing as Shizuo steadied his grip.

“Wait, you don’t have to-” he insisted but Shizuo started making his way up the hill with him in his arms.

“You wanted to go up, right?” 

Izaya bit his lip as he stopped struggling. “I haven’t been back here since I met you,” he admitted.

“That was quite a while ago,” Shizuo noted.

“Yeah.”

They moved slowly up the mound, the vegetation lush with sakura trees and overgrown bushes. Eventually the land evened out to a slight clearing where a grove of massive sakura trees stood. Something drew him to the largest one, and Shizuo walked over to it tentatively, entranced by the light that siphoned through the foliage. 

“Can you put me down for a bit?” the one in his arms asked so quietly he almost didn’t hear.

Shizuo complied, carefully placing Izaya’s feet on the ground a little closer to the massive sakura tree. He let go when the other seemed to have found his footing and watched as Izaya managed a few shaky steps before stopping at the base. The demon knelt on the ground and slowly dug through his coat pockets, producing two familiar sake cups. Izaya stared at them, studying them intently, before he finally placed them gently between the roots and clapped his hands together, closing his eyes.

Shizuo waited patiently as Izaya stayed in that position for a while. A soft breeze ruffled the other’s hair as it blew some of the petals off of the trees, showering them in a sea of pink. They were alone up here with this unmarked grave, and his heart clenched as he wondered just how many times Izaya had knelt at that very spot by himself.

The other finally finished and breathed out a soft sigh before opening his eyes.

Izaya looked up to see Shizuo’s outstretched hand already waiting for him. He smiled, allowing the other to help him up and lead him slowly away from the massive sakura tree. He had plenty to do from now. There was the matter of the Orihara Clan, his continued side jobs with the Awakusu-kai, Celty’s head… He held Shizuo’s hand tighter. That was another matter for a future day.

“So are you going to move up to Ikebukuro since your clan is up here?” Shizuo’s voice broke through the silence, interrupting his train of thought.

“Huh?” Izaya answered smartly before realizing what the other was implying. He cleared his throat. “Well, my apartment is already quite roomy, for your information. You can always move in with me in Shinjuku. It’s not that far.”

“Ah, uh…” The other looked away, ears unmistakably red. “I’ll consider it.”

Izaya laughed. “I can move up to Ikebukuro too. Actually, I can keep two places! Shinjuku’s more of an office anyway. Oh! What do you think about a 2LDK?”

“What about the rent?”

“Rent? I’m going to buy it,” he declared. The last thing he wanted to do was burden the other with an inconvenience he knew that he had a hand in.

“Just how much do you make anyway?” Shizuo grumbled.

Izaya laughed off the question, purposely hugging Shizuo’s arm as they continued to make their way down the hill. 

“What did you say to Tsugaru earlier?” the bodyguard inquired. Izaya had stayed there for quite a while, and frankly, he was still just a little jealous of the man that was him yet not him.

Blood red eyes met his own, reflecting the few rays of sunlight that trickled through the trees.

The demon grinned. “I thanked him for sending Shizu-chan to me.”

“Is that so?” Shizuo replied, attempting to appear nonchalant, but his small smile was not lost on the other as Izaya’s grip tightened around his hand. The demon turned back for a last look at the large sakura tree behind them, its leaves rustling in the spring breeze.

_‘See you later, Tsugaru.’_

The wind picked up slightly, scattering soft pink petals across the mountainside, a few brushing across two sake cups that sat against the trunk of one of the sakura trees.

_~Owari~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading until the end! I first started writing this 8 years ago in 2012, and I'm so happy it's finally gotten closure. I hope you enjoyed the story, and I'll see you next time!
> 
> Kou (幸): fortune, blessing, happiness


End file.
